New Delhi: How often do we see a home crowd encouraging the opposition? But that’s exactly what happened at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Sunday. The roar was deafening when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Captain Rajat Patidar, won the draw and chose to rush against the capitals of Delhi. The crowd broke out, encouraging the top of their lungs – and that was everything for a man, their beloved local hero, Virat Kohli.
Kohli (51 out of 47) did not disappoint, anchoring the prosecution with half a century composed, while the majestic Knock of Krunal Pandya (73 steps out of 47) propelled the RCB to a six-countest victory on the Capitals of Delhi, by doing them to the top of the point table.
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Barely a few months ago, the Stade Arun Jaitley stadium was completely different during the Ranji trophy match between Delhi and the railways, which featured Kohli. The fans wrapped in thick jackets, silencer and wool caps have braved the biting cold, hands hidden in the pockets, just for an overview of the action.
This time it was the opposite.
The bottles of water soaked in sweat and gripping, wiping their faces with handkerchiefs, sports hats and sunglasses, the Delhites fought against scorching heat – all for the chance to see their superstar Kohli in action. 35,000 fans flocked inside the stadium to look at Kohli in action.
Whenever Kohli moved to recover the ball, sprinted for one or struck a border, the stadium resonated with songs of “Kohli, Kohli”.
Virat with the role of anchoring
Kohli played the perfect anchor, constantly walking towards Krunal Pandya for fast discussions, offering hand pumps and shouting words of encouragement from the other end. Its energy has never dropped by guiding the partnership forward.
Krunal built his sleeves patiently. After his superb effort with the ball, he evaluated the conditions intelligently, waited for deliveries and made sure to send them to the boundary strings each time they came to him.
Krunal reached his half-century of 38 bullets, being the subject of a border off the coast of Axar Patel. Kohli, all smiles, rushed forward to hug him to celebrate a brilliant effort.
Purchased by RCB for 5.75 Rupes of Rupes at the 2025 IPL mega-sale, Krunal marked 73 no on 47 balls and was involved in a 119-point partnership with Kohli.
Kohli, meanwhile, spoke of his own half-century of 45 balls-his fifty largest in the 2025 IPL season. The slowest previous was the half-century of 43 Bales by Vijay Shankar against the capitals of Delhi in Chennai. He scored 51 out of 47 balls before being dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera.
Krunal-Suyash tightened the flowing knot
RCB Spinners Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya may not have picked up many counters, but they played a crucial role in keeping the Delhi Capitals strikers in verification and controlling the flow of races.
It was Krunal who went under the skin of Faf du Plessis, creating pressure and ends up claiming the prized counter. Krunal finished with well-stored figures of 4-0-28-1 and did not allow KL Rahul to strike a single limit during his fate.
At the other end, Suyash brilliantly shared responsibility, conceding only two limits in his four overs. He finished with figures of 4-0-22-0, with an impressive economic rate of 5.50.
Axar for two in two
RCB’s pursuit has never really managed to pass as they hoped. They lost three counters for only 26 points in the first four overs, leaving Virat Kohli frustrated visibly at the other end.
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Jacob Bethell (12), Devdutt Padikkal (0) and Rajat Patidar (6) all fell at a lower cost. Axar Patel made early damage, removing Bethell and then breaking Padikkal for a duck in the same to leave RCB in shock.
However, what really made Kohli was the dismissal of a patidar. After Kohli turned one in the middle of the counter, Patidar left for one but hesitated halfway while the defensive player published a lively launch. A direct blow of Karun Nair caught Patidar in less of his fold, leading to a run-out which left Kohli visibly furious in the way Patidar threw his counter.
Faf back but failed
After missing five games due to a groin injury, the Plessis FAF returned to open the Capitals of Delhi. However, this decision did not work in their favor. The 40 -year -old managed only 22 points out of 26 balls before falling to Krunal Pandya.
In all, it was the fifth different opening combination of Delhi Capitals this season – the most by any team. Chennai Super Kings, compared, has so far tried four opening pairs.