New Delhi, Apr 27: Bhuvneshwar Kumar headlined a strong bowling performance from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by picking 3-33 as they restricted Delhi Capitals (DC) to 162/8 on a two-paced pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

Bhuvneshwar leaked 25 runs in his first two overs, but used his slower balls well to pick three wickets while conceding eight runs in his final two overs. He was also supported by Josh Hazlewood, the new leading wicket-taker of the season, picking 2-36 and Yash Dayal taking a scalp.

Spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma bowled with immaculate control and got the ball to grip and stop a bit to keep DC on a tight leash, with their combined figures reading 1-50 in eight overs. For DC, who made the lowest first innings score in IPL games here since 2024, they were in trouble at 108/4 in 15 overs, till Tristan Stubbs hit 34 off 18 balls to help the hosts’ get a competitive total.

DC had a blazing start, thanks to Abishek Porel’s quick 11-ball 28. From the word go, Porel was at his sweetest best in timing the ball – as seen from flicking Bhuvneshwar for four. The young left-handed batter took a liking to the veteran fast bowler’s pace – an early slog just went past deep backward square leg for six, before a gorgeous pick-up sweep went over fence for another maximum.

But Hazlewood ended Porel’s blitz by having him glove the pull to the keeper on a short ball angled down leg. With Faf du Plessis struggling to find fluency, DC lost Karun Nair, who top-edged a pull on an angled across delivery from Dayal to mid-wicket. With Suyash and Krunal bowling stump to stump lines and getting some grip off the pitch, RCB managed to dry up big runs for DC.

It worked when du Plessis’s struggle ended with him holing out to long-on off Krunal. From there, KL Rahul and Axar Patel joined forces to rebuild DC’s innings. Rahul was quick to pounce on slightest of errors – using depth of crease to take a four each off Suyash and Yash Dayal on both sides of the wicket, before hocking Hazlewood over backward square leg for another boundary.

On the other hand, Axar, despite missing some balls off Suyash, scooped him for four, before lofting Krunal over mid-wicket for six. But Hazlewood gave DC a big blow by going past Axar’s swipe across the line, and knocking over his middle stump. After Axar’s fall, Suyash and Krunal bowled two more boundary-less overs, thus increasing pressure on DC.

That pressure intensified in the 17th over when Bhuvneshwar had Rahul holing out to long-off, while impact player Ashutosh Sharma was castled by a leg-cutter. Stubbs injected some momentum by scooping and lofting Hazlewood for fours, while Vipraj Nigam ramped him over third man for six in a 17-run 18th over.

Stubbs continued to amaze by drilling Dayal down the ground twice for fours, before switch-hitting him for six in the 19th over yielding. Though Bhuvneshwar took out Stubbs in the final over, the batter did manage to take DC past 160, which RCB will fancy chasing down, especially with dew effect coming in.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 162/8 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 41, Tristan Stubbs 34; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-33, Josh Hazlewood 2-36) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru

--IANS

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