Delhi Capitals were floundering at 58 for four, undone by the lack of pace in the usually batting-friendly Chinnaswamy strip, chasing Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s challenging 163 for seven
DC’s KL Rahul celebrates their win over RCB in Bangalore on Thursday. PIC/AFP
Tristan Stubbs walked into a crisis at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday night. Just as well, because he enjoyed the best seat in the house as KL Rahul put on a masterclass in the art of chasing, using his knowledge of the conditions at the venue to produce one of the more spectacular efforts of IPL 2025.
Delhi Capitals were floundering at 58 for four, undone by the lack of pace in the usually batting-friendly Chinnaswamy strip, chasing Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s challenging 163 for seven. Time wasn’t their ally — they had 68 deliveries to knock off the remaining 106 runs — but then they had the local lad, who seems totally at ease batting anywhere in the order. Rahul, batting at No. 4, shifted gears like only he can, pummeling the ball out of sight with a fabulous unbeaten 93 which, allied with his unbroken 111-run partnership with Stubbs, helped the Capitals maintain their all-win record while consigning RCB to a second successive home defeat, by six wickets.
Tristan Stubbs
“This is his ground,” Stubbs was to say later, still a little awestruck. “He has grown up here, so he knows how to play and he stayed positive throughout the innings. He kept enforcing and reminding me to look [to play] straight and that gave me confidence. He can do anything. He is a seriously good player and he is in really good form,” Stubbs added, alluding to the Player of the Match award that Rahul also picked up in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings as an opener. “So, if he can get on a really good wicket, we will be able to see his full potential.”
‘Really good wicket.’ A vitally significant phrase that, something that Dinesh Karthik, the RCB batting coach and mentor, had alluded to a few minutes previously. “In the first two games, we asked for good pitches,” the former India stumper revealed. “But it’s turned out in this way where it’s been challenging to bat on. We try and do the best with whatever we get. “That’s how the game goes. We will obviously have a chat with him [the curator]. We trust him to do his job and we will try and do the best of what we can,” he added.
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