IPL 2025: Virat Kohli and Phil Salt’s fifties power RCB to 9-wicket win against RR

JAIPUR(Rajasthan) [India] April 13 (ANI): Virat Kohli and Phil Salt’s fifties powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a dominating nine-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Sunday at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat won the toss and opted to bowl first against RR.

Kohli and Salt opened the RCB innings, and Salt again gave Bengaluru an aggressive start, smashing all bowlers in the powerplay. Virat Kohli smartly rotated the strike and gave it to Salt.

RCB finished their power play on 65/0, Phil Salt 46 (23) and Virat Kohli 18 (13), Phil Salt brought up his fifty in the 8th over, and he kept smashing RR bowlers even after the field restrictions.

Kumar Kartikeya removed Phil Salt in the 9th over for 65 (33). His innings included five fours and six sixes. Devdutt Padikkal joined Virat Kohli in the middle. After 10 overs, RCB were way ahead in the game at 101/1: Virat Kohli 27 and Padikkal 6.

Salt counter-attacked RR bowlers before getting out, which gave RCB batters the freedom to take their time on the crease and play accordingly. Virat Kohli played anchoring innings, taking singles and doubles at regular intervals.

RR bowlers looked clueless in front of RCB batters. Virat Kohli brought up his fifty with a straight six to Wanindu Hasaranga in the 15th over. His third in this edition of IPL and 100th overall in T20 internationals.

Padikkal charged on Tushar Deshpande in the 16th over, hitting him for 13 runs with a four and six each. RR dropped four catches in the second innings and was very sloppy on the field.

On a slow track where RR batters struggled to hit boundaries at regular intervals, RCB’s run rate did not come down under 10. Padikkal opened his arms and scored quickly after the 15th over.

Virat Kohli 62(45) and Devdutt Padikkal’s 40 (28) helped RCB chase a difficult target of 174 in the 18th over. The duo added 83 runs for the second wicket.

In bowling, only Kumar Kartikeya (1/25) took a wicket rest all the RR bowlers took a hammering from the RCB batters.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outstanding 75 and Dhruv Jurel’s crucial 35 powered the Rajasthan Royals to 173/4 in their 20-overs clash.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson opened the innings for RR, Yashasvi Jaiswal played the power-play well but RR skipper Sanju Samson found it very difficult to score, he got out in the 7th over of the innings, getting trapped by Krunal Pandya for 15 (19).

Sanju struggled to score runs which led RR to finish their power-play on 45/0. Riyan Parag joined Jaiswal in the middle, and as the partnership was building between Parag and Jaiswal, Yash Dayal dropped a sitter catch of Riyan Parag on Suyash Sharma’s bowling in the 10th over.

In the halfway RR made 77/1. Parag and Jaiswal played well after the power-play. They consistently rotated the strike and kept scoring boundaries in every over, Jaiswal bought up his fifty in the 13th over, his second in the IPL 2025.

Parag and Jaiswal crossed a 50-run partnership for the second wicket in the 13th over after Parag played a backfoot punch straight into Virat Kohli’s hand at short covers in the 14th over, courtesy of Yash Dayal’s bowling, Parag made 30(22) including three fours and a six.

Just when Jaiswal and Parag were looking to raise the rate, Parag fell to Yash Dayal. Dhruv Jurel joined Jaiswal in the middle, Jurel started very slowly which resulted in Jaiswal trying too many shots and falling to Josh Hazlewood in the 16th over for 75 (47) including ten fours and two sixes. Shimron Hetmyer joined Dhruv Jurel for the final four over, Suyash Sharma was unlucky today as two chances went down in his spell, and Virat Kohli dropped an easy catch of Dhruv Jurel in the 17th over on longoff.

Seven misfields and two dropped catches from RCB fielders today. Jurel took on Dayal in the 19th over, smashing a six and four in the first two balls, adding 15 runs off his last over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled an outstanding 20th over, giving away 11 runs and took the wicket of Hetmyer. Jurel played a vital hand of 35 (23) which helped RR post a target of 174 for RCB.

In bowling, Krunal Pandya (1/29), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/32), Josh Hazlewood (1/26) and Yash Dayal (1/36) took a wicket each, Suyash Sharma (0/39) went wicketless.

Brief score: Rajasthan Royals ( Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Dhruv Jurel 35*; Krunal Pandya 1/29) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru ( Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62*; Kumar Kartikeya (1/25). (ANI)