Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 39th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - CommentaryDC vs RCB, 39th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 - Commentary

Worrying signs for DC - they now have lost their last three. They managed to win at the Chinnaswamy in the return fixture thanks to Miller but tonight they were massacred in front of their home crowd. RCB showing why they have a brilliant new-ball duo in Bhuvi and Hazlewood and when conditions help them, they can be devastating. That's what happened tonight. RCB sit comfortably in 2nd after tonight's win and remain one of the sides to beat this season. A rare early finish for all of us here - well-deserved probably after the Super Over last night - and we are "bouncing" off into the night as my esteemed colleague - Nikhil Jadhav would say. You too make what you can of the night still left. We will be back tomorrow for more IPL action. See you then. Take care and bye bye.

Josh Hazlewood | Player of the Match: "Yeah, I think, probably turning up here after 500-plus runs last game, probably weren't expecting what happened, but, yeah, it feels like Bhuvi and I have been pretty close to producing a really good powerplay. So yeah, I just followed his lead basically again and, yeah, what happened, happened, so it was a great result. (on the wicket) There was a little bit there in the first, you know, first six overs, which we maximised. I think there was a little bit up and down, maybe a little bit of sideways, so there was enough there to work with. The ball seemed to be skidding on quite quickly from short of a length in particular, and probably once the ball got soft, it became more consistent. (on getting KL and Nitish) Yeah, I think in general, you wanted the batter to try and hit the ball back down the wicket and play in the V. I felt like from that length and that line, a nice straight line, that was probably the most was in the wicket. And then obviously the short ball was nice as well. So it was just about the accuracy of the short ball in particular. But I think, no matter where you pitched, it sort of ended up at the right height. It was one of those wickets. So, yeah, I think when that ball was nice and hard, it was quite tough to bat. (did you want the fourth over?) Yeah, it would have been nice to bowl four and then just get off the field. But no, I think the way we planned it out was nice. Our spinners got into the game, you know, dotted it up nicely. Suyash bowled beautifully again. KP, wily-old character. So, yeah, it feels like every box is getting ticked at the moment. (any areas of improvement?) Yeah, I think we've just picked up from where we left off last year. I felt like, in particular in our away games, we summed up conditions nicely, nice and quickly, whether we batted or bowled first, and adapted our games accordingly. So we really went on a bit of a streak towards the back-end of last year and it feels like we're sort of hitting our straps now at the right time of the tournament, I think."

Rajat Patidar | RCB captain: "Absolutely, but I think even I am surprised the way wicket played and all credit goes to bowlers, the way they have bowled, especially in the powerplay, Hazlewood and Bhuvi. I think the way they have, you know, hit those areas and got that a bit of swing earlier, I think that was tremendous to see. (more swing than normal early on?) I think the swing was normal and the good thing was we got the early wicket and that's why it kept us on the driving seat. (temptation to finish Bhuvi and Hazlewood straight up?) No, no. I think I was... we have planned earlier that if we got early wickets then we'll go three-three overs of each. And let's see after how the wicket is behaving and the way afterwards the Suyash and Sheppy bowled I think the areas. And Suyash also bowled, I think he got a lot of spin, I would say, but I think the way he bowled stump to stump, I think that was really good to see. (on keeping the winning run going) It's very important to follow your routines because you know it's still a long way to go, but I think we are just taking one game at a time. And the positive is, as I mentioned last game also, that different players coming up and doing it for the team, I think that's a good sign for us. (two world-class bowlers at the top) Of course, I think if you are playing T20 cricket on the flat surface, so I think if you have, you should have a good bowling unit. That's why, because only bowler can make you win the championship."

Stats by Shashikant Singh

Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase
87 - MI vs KKR, Wankhede, 2008 (target: 68)
81 - RCB vs DC, Delhi, 2026 (target: 76)* 
76 - KTK vs RR, Indore, 2011 (target: 98)
73 - KXIP vs DC, Mohali, 2017 (target: 68)
72 - SRH vs RCB, Braboune, 2022 (target: 69)

Most runs against an opponent in IPL
1174 - Virat Kohli vs CSK
1172 - Virat Kohli vs DC*
1161 - Rohit Sharma vs KKR
1159 - Virat Kohli vs PBKS
1134 - David Warner vs PBKS 

Most wins against a team in the IPL
25 - MI vs KKR (36 mats)
21 - CSK vs RCB (36 mats)
21 - KKR vs PBKS (36 mats)
21 - MI vs CSK (39 mats)
21 - MI vs DC (38 mats)
21 - CSK vs KKR (32 mats)
21 - RCB vs DC (35 mats)*

Devdutt Padikkal: "Yeah, I think it was great to see the way we bowled in those first six overs. Those two are so good with the new ball. And when you have that from both ends, I think the pressure on the batting side is immense, and that really showed today. (how's it watching Bhuvi and Hazlewood from slip) Yeah, I'm expecting a catch every ball, and that's not something you would say in a T20 game. But the way those two are bowling, every ball is an opportunity. (on his slip catching) I think it's a lot to do with time out there. I think when I started doing slip fielding initially in my career, I wasn't really good at it. But as you do it more often, I think you get better at it. And it's all about, you know, picking the ball as early as you can and making sure your hands are soft. (on finishing it early) Yeah, definitely. I think when you have a total like that on the board, it's important that we try and finish it off as soon as possible. And once Beth started the way he did, then it was pretty easy from there."

Axar Patel | DC captain (translated from Hindi): I still don’t understand what happened. But everyone says that in cricket, every day you have to be on your toes and you have to come back and do the same things again and again. But yes, when you go into the next match, you have to forget this and move on. (did the luck change for DC after the GT game?) Yes, if I talk about today, you can think like that. But I feel ifs and buts will keep happening. You might think that if we had taken that catch or completed that run in the GT game, maybe the momentum would have stayed. But these things keep happening. What’s important is that you come every day and keep doing the same things, stay on your toes, and keep doing what you’ve been doing. The IPL is a very tough tournament - you can’t think even for a day that things will come easy. You have to come and execute every time. Yes, momentum matters, but you can’t keep thinking “what if that had happened.” It’s better to focus on what’s in front of you. (on moving forward from this game) I think we need to move on. If you stay negative, you'll lose matches. If you stay positive, you can perform well. So we have to forget this and move ahead. I'll also tell the team the same - one bad game doesn’t mean you start pointing fingers or blaming the batters. We need to stay positive, continue what we’ve been doing in the last 6-7 matches, and keep the right mindset. (surprised by the amount of movement early on) I wouldn’t say surprised - they are world-class bowlers and they swing the ball anywhere, they have done it on every ground. But yes, I feel if our openers or one of the top-order batters had negotiated those first couple of overs better, it could have made a difference and the match might have been different. But credit to them for the way they bowled.

21:58 Local Time, 16:28 GMT, 21:58 IST: What a one-sided game this has been. A no-contest. The game was done in the powerplay when Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar swung it around corners. Once DC were reduced to 8/6, it was always going to need a miracle of miracles to win from there. Eventually DC limped to 75 and the job was done so easily by RCB just after the powerplay. The pitch played nothing like what we saw either in the DC-PBKS game or here in the 1st innings when RCB batted in the chase. Bethell with a monster pull off Jamieson before he fell. Devdutt Padikkal came out and played two stunning lofts over extra-cover which went all the way. And Kohli put the finishing touches to the game. The crowd may have been slightly disappointed that they couldn't watch a close game or a run-fest but at least they will be happy that they got to see Kohli bat. Lots of RCB supporters in the stands in Delhi and they will be so happy at seeing such a performance from their side. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff....