IPL 2025: Shepherd annihilates CSK with brute force, lifts RCB to 213/5

BENGALURU: A ruthless assault from Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell and Romario Shepherd powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a daunting 213/5 against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday in their match in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium played host to the way Shepherd pummelled Chennai bowlers with his superb strength. His thunderstrom stuck the stadium as he drilled the ball into the stands and hammered a half-century in 14 balls, the second-fastest in the cash-rich league’s history.

After being put to bat by Chennai, Virat and Bethell inflicted carnage on CSK bowlers and relished the conditions in RCB’s home den. The duo combined for three maximums to take 19 runs off Khaleel Ahmed in the third over, showcasing their six-hitting appetite.

The duo went berserk from that point and clobbered Chennai for their wayward line and lengths. It was a boundary-hitting fest, with Virat and Bethell sending Chennai’s blueprint straight into the bin.

Bowlers changed, but the result stayed the same. Irrespective of what Chennai skipper MS Dhoni lined up against the duo, each bowler perished. While Virat dazzled with his classic strokeplay, Bethell flexed his raw power and muscled the ball effortlessly towards the boundary rope.

In the rest of the powerplay, RCB garnered 10-plus runs from each over and hammered 71-0 to assert dominance. The field restrictions were lifted, but the attitude remained the same.

Touted to be a future star, Bethell brought up his half-century with a sublime four. However, his exploits ended in the 10th over, when he skied the ball off Matheesha Pathirana, as Dewald Brevis pulled off an absolute stunner to punch Bethell’s return ticket to the dugout on 55(33).

The 97-run partnership between Kohli and Bethell emerged as the second-highest opening stand for the Royal Challengers against the Super Kings.
Virat continued his business with sixes and fours and brought up his fifty in style. He cut the ball through the backward point, raised his bat to celebrate his milestone, and his teammates stood on their feet to applaud Virat’s masterclass.

Chennai needed Virat back in the dressing room, and Sam Curran took the mantle on himself. He banged the ball short, and Virat tried to counterattack with an uppercut. The idea was there, but Virat floundered in his execution. The ball flew straight to Khaleel, who banged it into the turf as Virat returned with a flashy 62(33).

From that point, RCB’s high-flying inning showed signs of slowing down. Devdutt Padikkal came in, struck a couple of boundaries and returned with 17(15) as Pathirana picked his second of the night.

RCB’s woes increased after Jitesh Sharma (7) holed it to Brevis off CSK’s premier wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad on the penultimate delivery of the 17th over. Skipper Rajat Patidar, who was a mere spectator until that point, tried to swing his arms but skewed it straight to Curran.

With two overs left, Romario Shepherd muscled the ball away for back-to-back maximums with brute power. Fortune was indeed on his side as the third ball took the top edge and flew to the fence for a four.

The explosive Caribbean batter tormented Khaleel and Chennai by smacking the ball with two sixes on the trot. The no-ball on the fourth delivery made Khaleel run out of ideas, but he came back with a dot on the fifth one. Khaleel tried to get out of jail, but a four on the final ball saw RCB take away 33 runs from the penultimate over.

Pathirana tried to contain Shepherd in the final over, but the West Indies hard-hitter drilled the ball for a four and then shovelled it for a six to bring up the 50-run partnership in just 15 deliveries. He sent the final ball into the third tier to finish with an unbeaten 53 from 14 as RCB blazed to 213/5. (ANI)