Royal Challengers expose Delhi collapse

Royal Challengers Bengaluru ripped through Delhi Capitals for 75 on April 27, then reached 77 for 1 in 6.3 overs to win by nine wickets. (iplt20.com) (espncricinfo.com) Delhi were 8 for 6 after 3.5 overs at Arun Jaitley Stadium, with Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking three wickets each in the opening burst. Hazlewood finished with 4 for 12 and Bhuvneshwar with 3 for 5. (espncricinfo.com) (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Abishek Porel made 30 from 33 balls and David Miller added 19, but no other Delhi batter reached double figures. Delhi were all out in 16.3 overs. (espncricinfo.com) Virat Kohli made 51 not out from 26 balls in the chase, and Bengaluru lost only Jacob Bethell before finishing with 81 balls left. The result gave Kohli 9,000 IPL runs, according to match coverage after the game. (iplt20.com) (thesportstak.com) Delhi captain Axar Patel said after the match that “it was bad luck” and said the side had hesitated after an earlier defeat in the season. He also said Delhi “could have made a few tactical changes” once the collapse began. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The defeat was a sharp turn from April 18, when Delhi chased 176 against Bengaluru in Bengaluru and won by six wickets with one ball left. Tristan Stubbs made 60 not out in that game. (espncricinfo.com) The official IPL match report called Bengaluru the defending champions and described the bowling spell as one of the most ruthless in league history. Delhi’s total of 75 left no room for recovery once the new ball moved. (iplt20.com) For Delhi, the scorecard is the story: six wickets down before the fourth over, 43 for 7 by the ninth, and the innings closed at 75. Bengaluru turned that collapse into one of the quickest chases of the season. (espncricinfo.com)