In a one-sided encounter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals by nine wickets thanks to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood‘s scorching spells.
The home team was bowled out for just 75 by the right-arm pace combo’s devastating new-ball spell, before Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli scored 34 and 23 not out, respectively, to complete the chase with 81 balls to spare, securing a victory that was both convincing and quick.
Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar teamed up to take six wickets in the first four overs, generating incredible movement and bounce off the ground, which was more similar to a Test match than an IPL match, and made sure DC was outed for the season’s lowest total.
DC had no response to Hazlewood’s (4-12) and Bhuvneshwar’s (3-5) outside edges, and the batters were constantly pounded. As no other DC batter scored above 20 and fell like ninepins, Impact Player Abishek Porel’s 30 off 33 was the only positive in an otherwise terrible batting performance.
According to CricViz, DC is only the second club in IPL history to lose six wickets during the powerplay in a game that was not shortened by rain. The only prior incident occurred in IPL 2011, when the Kochi Tuskers Kerala lost to the Deccan Chargers with a score of 29/6. Both of these events occurred on the same day, April 27, by chance.
When Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s probing away-swinging delivery enticed an edge off debutante Sahil Parakh and rolled harmlessly to short third man, not many people anticipated havoc coming to DC. However, on the very next delivery, Bhuvneshwar unleashed a deadly accurate yorker from over the wicket, which swung in late and narrowly missed Parakh’s bat, resulting in a two-ball duck for the batsman.
With two massive hits in as many pitches, Hazlewood increased the pace of the slaughter. Sameer Rizvi, who made his debut, was lured into chasing one around the off-stump, and the keeper caught the outside edge of a wide drive. Meanwhile, KL Rahul was physically constrained by a harsh short ball that gave him no room to pull, and the top edge landed securely in Jitesh Sharma’s gloves.
By striking Hazlewood’s hat-trick delivery for four, Tristan Stubbs briefly raised DC’s spirits. However, the respite was brief since Bhuvneshwar, relentless and precise, discovered Stubbs’ outside edge with yet another late swing delivery, which first slip securely pouched. With Jitesh making another catch, he next pulled out the outside edge of captain Axar Patel.
Hazlewood then finished DC’s agony by bowling a quick short ball that confused Nitish Rana, and the gully caught an ugly glove edge, bringing DC to 9/6 in four overs and leaving them in ruins. The fact that Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar were the first pair of bowlers in IPL history to each take three wickets during the power play in the same game demonstrated how utterly they destroyed DC.
Delhi’s 13/6 became the new mark for the lowest powerplay score in IPL history when the six-over period concluded. Afterward, Abishek Porel and David Miller struck back by stealing boundaries off Romario Shepherd and Rasikh Salam Dar in order to make a little comeback.
However, Rasikh broke the short 35-run standoff in 31 balls when Miller, trying to lift a fast short ball across the line, toed it to an appreciative Jitesh. In the midst of a mild dust storm swirling around the ground, Kyle Jamieson saved DC from the further disgrace of having the lowest total in IPL history by expertly pulling Shepherd over mid-wicket for six to bring them to their fifty in 10. 2 overs.
Krunal Pandya ended Jamieson’s defiance with a nice length delivery that landed on the off-stump and caught him plumb lbw, even as Suyash Sharma harassed Porel. Hazlewood aptly brought an end to DC’s misery by hitting Porel’s middle stump with a flawless yorker, which occurred after Suyash bowled Kuldeep Yadav with a devastating leg-break.
With Impact Player Jacob Bethell flicking him for four, Virat Kohli, who was surrounded by the familiar chants of Kohli, Kohli around the ground, got off the mark by lofting Dushmantha Chameera down the ground for a wonderful boundary, beginning RCB’s chase of a paltry 76.
Bethell then switched gears with amazing speed, slamming Jamieson for a pair of sixes over the mid-wicket boundary, one of which was a massive 104-meter shot. To his credit, Jamieson retaliated when Bethell mistimed a loft, and in what was the catch of the night, T Natarajan, sprinting back from mid-on, bowled him out for a fantastic 20 off 11 balls by taking it cleanly over his shoulder and without hitting the rope.
Devdutt Padikkal started by hitting Chameera over long-off for six, and then he blasted Jamieson over the square-leg boundary for another maximum as RCB doubled DC’s power-play score in three overs. Padikkal scored RCB’s fifty in 4. 3 overs with a one-legged pulled four through mid-wicket, before carting him through fine leg for another boundary, and then produced the shot of the night, giving himself room to loft over mid-off for six.
Following the conclusion of the Power-play with RCB at 65/1, Kohli completed the simple chase in style, sending Natarajan six over the ground before going on the backfoot and pulling the ball over deep mid-wicket for another maximum to secure a resounding victory for the defending champions.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 75 all out in 16.3 overs (Abishek Porel 30, David Miller 19; Josh Hazlewood 4-12, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-5)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 77/1 in 6.3 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 34 not out, Virat Kohli 23 not out; Kyle Jamieson 1-42)