BENGALURU: Back on home turf in familiar circumstances, KL Rahul stood tall amid the ruins on a muggy Saturday evening. At 18/3 in the third over, Delhi Capitals were wobbling, undone early by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s (3/26) incisive spell. Yet, the birthday boy, who turned 34, remained unflustered, anchoring the chase with a calm assurance that has become his hallmark.It wasn’t the first time Rahul had rescued his side in such a situation. His innings echoed his effort the last time these two teams met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. On April 10 last year, the Karnataka batsman struck an unbeaten match-winning 93 for a six-wicket victory. On this occasion, he played the perfect foil again, scoring a composed 57 off 34 balls (6×4, 2×6) to set up a similar six-wicket win.
On a day that marked 19 years of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru — who had lost the tournament’s inaugural match at this very venue — slumped to their second defeat of the season. Riding on Rahul’s control and a late flourish from Tristan Stubbs (60n.o), along with David Miller’s unbeaten 22, Capitals snapped defending champions RCB’s five-match winning streak at home.Chasing 176 on a tricky surface, DC were under pressure early as Bhuvneshwar struck thrice in the Powerplay. Pathum Nissanka (1), local lad Karun Nair (5) and Sameer Rizvi (2) all fell cheaply, unable to counter the veteran seamer’s movement and control.At the other end, Rahul began cautiously, seeing off a probing Bhuvneshwar before taking on Josh Hazlewood. A crisp six over extra cover signaled a shift in intent. Aside Stubbs, Rahul rebuilt the innings, targeting the loose deliveries and gradually bringing the required rate under control.Just as the partnership began to tilt the game decisively, Rahul fell, slicing Krunal Pandya to Virat Kohli in the deep. For a brief period, RCB sensed an opening, but the South African duo of Stubbs and Miller shut the door firmly. With 15 required off the final over, Romario Shepherd offered hope, conceding just two runs off the first two balls. But Miller responded with two towering sixes before sealing the chase with a boundary with a ball to spare.Earlier, RCB posted 175/8 — the first sub-200 total at the venue this season. Phil Salt (63; 38b; 4×4, 3×6) provided a brisk start, adding 52 with Kohli (19) before Lungi Ngidi struck with his first ball, inducing a miscued shot from the latter.Salt, along with Devdutt Padikkal (18), attempted to lift the tempo, but Axar Patel (2/18) turned the game. Padikkal holed out Axar to Miller at long-on before Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) removed Salt soon after, applying the brakes.From a strong 99/2 at the halfway mark, RCB lost six wickets for just 76 runs. Axar’s guile and Kuldeep’s variations stifled the middle order, with Rajat Patidar and Tim David failing to capitalise. The innings lost momentum drastically, with RCB going 24 deliveries without a boundary and managing just eight runs in the final two overs.In the end, Rahul’s composure and Stubbs’ intent proved decisive, as RCB’s fortress was breached on a day which also marked their 100th appearance at their home ground. Incidentally, RCB are the first team to play 100 home matches in the competition.
