Crucial "Small Things" Lead Royal Challengers Bangalore to Victory Over Rajasthan Royals
Krunal Pandya highlights two minor aspects contributing to RCB's tight victory against RR.
Bengaluru, INDIA — After breaking their three-match home losing streak, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) earned a narrow 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), thanks in large part to some key "small things" highlighted by team veteran all-rounder Krunal Pandya.
In their nail-biting victory, RCB managed to secure a target of 206 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Speaking in the dressing room, Krunal praised two aspects that he deemed critical to their success.
First, Krunal commended Phil Salt's carefully-calculated 26 runs in 23 balls, featuring four well-placed boundaries. Salt's patient approach formed a crucial 61-run partnership with Virat Kohli in just 6.4 overs, creating a solid platform for RCB's total score.
Krunal remarked, "Sometimes, you highlight the performance that is quite evident and visible, but what I felt was that in the powerplay, getting 6 overs for 56 runs was so crucial to lay that platform, and then obviously what Virat and Dev did was we spoke about, but again for me, those small things matter a lot."
Second, Krunal acknowledged the clutch performance of England all-rounder, Jacob Bethell, who stepped in as a substitute fielder. In the ninth over, when RR reached 100 runs, Bethell made an impressive dive to prevent Nitish Rana from scoring a boundary, thereby saving two crucial runs for RCB.
Krunal expressed, "Jacob again coming out and fielding and diving, saving two runs, you know."
Rajasthan Royals' batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, also commended Salt's invaluable contribution to the team's victory. Karthik noted, "Salt was very happy with the way he played today. He knows his role and knows that certain shots cannot be played in this venue at the start, so he adapted himself beautifully, and that's what I think gave him a lot of satisfaction today."
During the match, RR opted to bowl first after winning the toss. The partnership between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli kick-started RCB's innings, followed by a substantial 95-run partnership between Virat and Devdutt Padikkal. The duo's contributions, along with cameos from Tim David and Jitesh Sharma, helped RCB reach 205/5 in 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma was the top bowler for RR, while Jofra Archer delivered a commendable four-over spell of 1/33 runs.
During the run-chase, RR put up a formidable display, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi combining for a quickfire 52-run stand. However, Krunal Pandya and his teammates held their nerve, with key bowling performances in the final overs by Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal helping secure RCB a hard-fought win.
RCB currently sits in third place with six wins and three losses, giving them 12 points, while RR finds itself in eighth place with two wins and seven losses. RR has now suffered five consecutive losses.
Hazlewood was awarded the Player of the Match award for his breathtaking four-wicket haul in the game.
- Rajasthan Royals
- Bengaluru
- Virat Kohli
Orange Cap in IPL 2025 Purple Cap in IPL 2025 IPL Points Table Live cricket score ICC rankings Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli
IPL 2025 IPL Match Today RCB vs RR Live HT Crickit Orange Cap in IPL 2025 Purple Cap in IPL 2025 IPL Points Table Live cricket score ICC rankings Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli News Cricket News
- The crucial contribution of Phil Salt, scoring 26 runs in 23 balls, and his partnership with Virat Kohli laid a solid platform for Royal Challengers Bangalore's total score against Rajasthan Royals.
- Jacob Bethell, stepping in as a substitute fielder, saved two crucial runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore with an impressive dive, which significantly impacted the game.
- Rajasthan Royals' batting coach, Dinesh Karthik, acknowledged Phil Salt's invaluable contribution to Royal Challengers Bangalore's victory.
- Josh Hazlewood's breathtaking four-wicket haul earned him the Player of the Match award in the crucial match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.
- Despite losing five consecutive matches, Rajasthan Royals currently find themselves in eighth place with two wins and seven losses, while Royal Challengers Bangalore remains in third place with six wins and three losses in the ongoing IPL 2025.
