The target was 164 usually not enough to secure a win in this season’s IPL. And the Delhi Capitals made that clear, led by a stunning performance from Lokesh Rahul. Batting at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Rahul delivered a blistering unbeaten 93 off just 53 balls a knock the home crowd won’t forget anytime soon.
Had Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a few more runs, he might’ve even reached a well-deserved century.
Lokesh Rahul made light work of the 164-run target set by Bengaluru, finishing the chase with 13 balls and 6 wickets to spare in a flurry of sixes. With this convincing 6-wicket win, Delhi Capitals climbed to second place on the points table with 8 points from 4 straight wins still unbeaten. Gujarat Titans remain ahead due to a better net run rate. Despite the defeat, Royal Challengers Bangalore sit third with 6 points from 5 matches.
Delhi Capitals
In the final stretch, Delhi needed just 18 runs from the last 18 balls. Rahul and Tristan Stubbs took 23 runs off just 5 deliveries from Jos Dayal. Stubbs remained not out on 38 off 23 balls, while Rahul stayed unbeaten on a spectacular 93 from 53 balls, smashing 6 sixes and 7 fours.
KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs created history for Delhi Capitals with a record-breaking 111-run partnership the highest 5th wicket stand in the franchise’s IPL history. They surpassed the previous best of 110 runs by Ross Taylor and JP Duminy.
Delhi had a rough start while chasing 164, losing quick wickets early. They were 58 for 4 after Faf du Plessis (2), Jacques Fraser-McGurk (7), Abhishek Porel (7), and captain Axar Patel (15) were all dismissed cheaply. But the partnership between Rahul and Stubbs steadied the innings and powered Delhi to victory.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore, after choosing to bat first, managed 163 for 7. Phil Salt top-scored with 37, Tim David remained unbeaten on 37, Virat Kohli added 22 off 14 balls, Rajat Patidar scored 25, and Krunal Pandya chipped in with 18.
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