In a high-octane clash under the lights at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat Kohli’s passion and Josh Hazlewood’s precision lit up the night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off a stunning 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a nail-biting IPL 2025 thriller on Thursday.
With RR needing just 18 runs from the final two overs, the match looked all but sealed for the visitors. But Hazlewood had other plans. The Australian speedster delivered an ice-cold 19th over, conceding just 1 run and claiming two massive wickets – Jofra Archer and Wanindu Hasaranga – swinging the momentum sharply back in RCB’s favour.
Stationed near the boundary, Kohli – always the emotional heartbeat of the side – erupted in trademark fashion. Roaring, pumping his fists, and storming into the dugout, he hugged every teammate in sight, his fiery celebration capturing the boiling intensity of the match’s final moments. It was RCB’s first home win of the season and it couldn’t have come at a more crucial time.
Earlier, Kohli had already stamped his mark with the bat. Despite a few nervy edges early on, he settled in smoothly and delivered a fluent 70 off 42 balls – his first home fifty this season and fifth overall in IPL 2025. His 95-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (50 off 27) was the backbone of RCB’s innings, laying the platform for a formidable total of 205 on a slightly two-paced surface. A late blitz by Jitesh Sharma and Tim David helped push RCB beyond the 200 mark.
In response, RR came out blazing, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hammering 49 off just 19 balls, including a savage assault on Hazlewood early on. But the Aussie had the last laugh, dismissing Jaiswal with a cleverly angled short ball.
RR’s 14-year-old impact player, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, added a spark with two towering sixes, but his dream cameo was cut short by a knuckle ball from the ever-reliable Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Dhruv Jurel (47) fought hard, but the Royals collapsed under pressure as Hazlewood finished with 4/33, sealing a memorable win for Bengaluru.
This win lifts RCB above Mumbai Indians, taking them to third on the table with six wins from nine matches. Even more impressive is their perfect away record so far – four wins from four – as they now gear up to face Delhi Capitals in an away fixture on Sunday.
For Rajasthan Royals, however, the loss – their seventh in nine games – all but ends their playoff hopes.
