Kohli, Salt Power RCB to Dominant Win Over RR; Bengaluru Climb to Third in IPL 2025 Standings

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt smashed half-centuries to power Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a commanding nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2025 clash.

Rajasthan, batting first, posted 173/4 in 20 overs, driven by a solid 75 from Yashasvi Jaiswal. In reply, RCB’s top order made light work of the chase.

Salt hammered a 33-ball 65, and Kohli, alongside Devdutt Padikkal, ensured the win. With this result, RCB climbed to third in the IPL 2025 standings.

It was a clinical all-round performance at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where fifties from Salt and Kohli ensured a dominant chase after RCB opted to bowl first.

Explosive Opening Partnership Sets the Tone

RCB’s pursuit of 174 began with a high-octane start as openers Salt and Kohli raced to 65 in the powerplay. Salt led from the front, scoring 46 off 23 balls in the opening six overs alone.

His aggressive intent continued, and he reached his half-century in the eighth over. Eventually dismissed by Kumar Kartikeya in the ninth, Salt departed for 65 off 33 balls, an innings that included five boundaries and six massive sixes.

Following Salt’s dismissal, Devdutt Padikkal came in and formed a steady alliance with Kohli.

While Padikkal settled in, Kohli remained composed, rotating strike efficiently and putting away loose deliveries. In the 15th over, he brought up his third half-century of the season and his 100th in T20s with a straight six off Wanindu Hasaranga.

Padikkal picked up pace in the latter part of the innings, contributing a fluent 40 off 28 deliveries. Kohli stayed unbeaten on 62 off 45 balls.

Their unbroken partnership of 83 runs for the second wicket led RCB to a successful chase, finishing on 174/1 in 17.3 overs.

Jaiswal Anchors RR’s Total with Composed 75

Batting first, Rajasthan Royals started cautiously with openers Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, reaching 45/0 at the end of six overs.

However, Samson struggled to find rhythm and was removed by Krunal Pandya for a slow 15 off 19 deliveries in the seventh over.

Meanwhile, Jaiswal played with fluency and calm. Partnering with Riyan Parag, he brought up his second half-century of the season by the 13th over.

Their partnership added 50 runs, but Parag was dismissed in the 14th over for 30 off 22 by Yash Dayal.

Jaiswal looked to push the scoring rate but was caught out in the 16th over for a well-made 75 off 47 balls, which included ten fours and two sixes.

Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 35 from 23 deliveries, while Shimron Hetmyer chipped in with 6, guiding RR to 173/4 by the end of the innings.

Bowlers Share Spoils as Fielding Woes Continue

RCB’s bowling was efficient, with each of Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal claiming one wicket apiece.

Though Suyash Sharma bowled a testing spell, he ended without success, often beating the bat without reward.

RCB’s fielding, however, was substandard. The team was guilty of seven misfields and multiple dropped catches. Among the misses was a straightforward catch spilled by Virat Kohli, which could have impacted the match had the batters capitalized.

For Rajasthan, only Kumar Kartikeya made a breakthrough with the ball, finishing with figures of 1/25. The rest of the bowling attack failed to contain the RCB batters, who looked in complete control from start to finish.