The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered their second defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, April 18. They lost to the Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The hosts got off to a fantastic start as Virat Kohli and Phil Salt added 52 runs in five overs after DC won the toss and opted to field first. After Kohli was dismissed for a 13-ball 19, Devdutt Padikkal gave decent support to Salt, who started firing on all cylinders following a slow start.
Padikkal and Salt fell in consecutive overs at the halfway stage of the innings. This was when Delhi Capitals started pulling things back with wickets at regular intervals. Tim David played decently for his 17-ball 26. However, he was dismissed in the 16th over, which prevented RCB from finishing with a flourish.
Jitesh Sharma struggled during his 20-ball stay at the crease, as he scored just 14 runs. In the end, the home side finished on 175/8 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Bhuvneshwar Kumar wreaked havoc with the new ball. The right-arm seamer bagged three wickets inside the first three overs as Delhi were in a spot of bother. However, the experienced duo of KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs resurrected the innings with a 69-run stand off 44 balls. Axar replaced Rahul when the wicketkeeper-batter was dismissed for 57 (34). However, the DC skipper had to retire hurt when he was batting on 26.
David Miller joined forces with Stubbs and smashed 15 runs in the last over from Romario Shepherd to seal victory. The former hit two sixes and one four to finish the match with a ball to spare. Stubbs, meanwhile, finished unbeaten on 60 off 47 balls.
Talking Points
1. Delhi Capitals end two-match losing streak, move into top four
The Capitals started the season with consecutive wins before suffering back-to-back defeats. On Saturday, they came into the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as slight underdogs. However, they were right on the money from the early goings, as the bowlers bowled to their fields and made the RCB batters work hard for their runs. Even after losing three early wickets, the experience in the DC batting lineup bailed them out. Now, the Capitals have moved to No. 4 on the points table, displacing Gujarat Titans.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar rolls back the clock
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been superbly in IPL 2026. However, he brought his A-game to the fore on Saturday. He made the new ball talk and gave his team three crucial wickets upfront after the batters had put in a below-par performance. Kumar eventually finished with exemplary figures of 3/26 in his four-over spell.
3. David Miller redeems himself
David Miller was bruttally criticised by experts and fans for turning down a single in the game against the Gujarat Titans during a run chase and eventually failing to take his team home. However, he redeemed himself with a remarkable performance in the last over on Sunday. The Capitals needed 15 off the last over and the first two balls went for singles. However, Miller hit the next two balls for sixes to level the scores. On the penultimate delivery of the match, the southpaw hit a boundary to help the Capitals win a tight encounter.
RCB vs DC: Who Said What?
Rajat Patidar, RCB captain
“That was very close, but I feel that we were 15-20 runs short. The way we started initially, especially Virat bhai and Salt, they have given a good start, but from there, after 12-13 overs, we lost wickets in a couple of overs and that put us on the backseat. I think in the first inning, it was a bit tacky, I would say. But I think the way we stretched in the last over, I think that’s a positive sign for us. But I think I was just discussing with the bowlers that be clear whatever you do. It’s a long tournament, but I think we will go back and introspect where we put the errors and we’ll rectify them.”
KL Rahul, DC Stand-in captain
“Wicket did a bit early on. I could see Virat and Salt not happy with the way the ball was coming on and we lost three wickets in the powerplay. Overall a good game of cricket. The conversation was to try and keep playing good cricket shots and how we can find the boundaries. We didn’t want to go into a shell and the run rate keeps going up. We didn’t want to take it too deep and try and put the pressure on the bowlers. There was faith in Stubbs and Miller. They do this on the daily for South Africa and franchise cricket. We also knew the last over would be a gamble for RCB and we knew it would be Shepherd or Suyash bowling so we had a good chance. Ideally we didn’t want to take it into the 20th over, but we’ll take the win.”
Tristan Stubbs, Player of the Match
“[Coming in at 18 for 3] I wasn’t quite ready in the changing room. I just thought of watching the ball and going from there. Came in really early and last two overs of the powerplay I thought I could have a go. KL ended up having most of the strike and played great shots and kept up our momentum. I thought he’s going well so I was just giving him the strike. [The pitch] It wasn’t spinning or anything but just a little slow and low. Pretty much what I play on back at home. [The finish with Miller] Kept thinking three sixes and we’re straight back in it. I always thought the worst case, in the last over we can get whatever we need. But I didn’t want to take it into the last over. I knew we were going to do it, I didn’t know how. But thankfully Miller was at the other end. It’s his bread and butter.”
