Aussie Star Hazlewood Guides Bangalore to Victory over Rajasthan
In the thrilling clash of IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) triumph over Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a narrow 11-run margin. RCB, propelled by Virat Kohli's swashbuckling 70 runs off 42 balls and Devdutt Padikkal's rapid-fire 50 from 27 deliveries, managed to post a competitive total of 205/5 on the batting- friendly Bengaluru wicket[1][2].
The bowling attack of RCB was led by the outstanding Josh Hazlewood, who picked up four wickets for a mere 33 runs. His stellar performance significantly disrupted RR's batting rhythm, turning the tide in favor of RCB. Krunal Pandya too contributed significantly, claiming two wickets for 31 runs, enabling RCB to secure the victory[2]. For Rajasthan Royals, Sandeep Sharma was the star bowler, taking two wickets for 45 runs[2]. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal's fierce start and Dhruv Jurel's valiant effort, RR were contained to a below-par 194/9 in their 20 overs, ultimately coming up short[1][2].
The initial overs saw Kohli and Phil Salt charging to 59-0 in the powerplay, before Salt was removed on 26 in the seventh over with the team on 61-1. Kohli then forged a vital 95-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal, before ultimately being dismissed by Archer in the 16th over. Padikkal himself fell soon after scoring a 27-ball 50, with RCB on 161-3[1]. Wickets started tumbling towards the end, reducing the momentum, but key cameos from Tim David (23) and Jitesh Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 20, turned the tide in RCB's favor[1].
RCB's young opening batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, gave a solid start, staying ahead of the required run rate for the first half of the chase. Jaiswal slammed 19-ball 49 before being removed by Hazlewood, while Suryavanshi fell early, scoring 16. India veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up the wicket of Suryavanshi, finishing with 1-50 in his four-over spell. Spinner Krunal Pandya bowled an important spell, removing both Nitish Rana (28) and Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag (22), who were looking dangerous after the initial setbacks[1].
"We did really well with the ball... We held them back really well," Parag admitted after the game. "I thought at the halfway mark we were in the driving seat, but we have ourselves to blame... In the driving seat, and we let it slip," he added[3]. Player-of-the-match Hazlewood said he "was just sticking to my strengths". "I knew hard lengths were hard to hit, so I was mixing that up with yorkers and change of pace," he said[3].
In the IPL 2025 match, Virat Kohli, the RCB batsman, scored 70 runs and was dismissed by Archer. Josh Hazlewood, a bowler for RCB, performed exceptionally well, taking four wickets and disrupting RR's batting with his accurate lengths. Despite a strong start from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajasthan Royals ultimately failed to surpass India's competitive total set by Royal Challengers Bangalore, losing the game by 11 runs.
