DC vs RCB IPL 2026: RCB’s ruthless powerplay blitz leaves Rajat Patidar surprised, and DC stunned
DC vs RCB: Royal Challengers Bengaluru put on one of the most dominant displays of IPL 2026 on April 27, skittling Delhi Capitals for a meagre 75 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium before chasing it down in only 6.3 overs. Josh Hazlewood took home the Player of the Match award after tearing through the lineup with figures of 4 for 12, teaming up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a powerplay demolition that left DC red-faced.
Delhi slumped to the lowest powerplay score in IPL history and were eventually bundled out for their lowest total of the season. During the chase, Virat Kohli knocked a single to long-off to become the first player to cross 9,000 runs in the IPL, finishing the job in style as RCB moved up to second on the table.
Rajat Patidar credits the bowlers for reading a tricky pitch
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar looked genuinely shocked by the margin of victory at the post-match presentation. He admitted the pitch played much differently than he expected and gave all the credit to his seamers for making the most of the conditions. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were incredibly disciplined with their lengths early on, finding swing and attacking the stumps to leave DC’s top order in tatters before they could even get set.
Bhuvneshwar cleaned up debutant Sahil Parakh with a yorker in the opening over, and Hazlewood followed up by bouncing out KL Rahul, fresh off an unbeaten 152, before removing Sameer Rizvi for a golden duck. The pace, movement, and sheer accuracy left DC with no response, and Patidar admitted he could hardly believe what he was seeing from the dugout.
How did Patidar’s pre-planned bowling rotation set the tone?
RCB’s night was made even better by the fact that Patidar stuck strictly to a pre-match blueprint. He explained that the plan was for Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar to bowl three overs each upfront if wickets tumbled, and everything fell perfectly into place. DC collapsed to 8 for 6 within those opening overs, making the tactical gamble look like a masterstroke.
Once the shine wore off the ball, Patidar brought on leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, who kept the pressure on with a stump-to-stump line and plenty of turn. Suyash deceived Kuldeep Yadav with a sharp wrong’un that the batter didn’t read at all. Romario Shepherd also picked up wickets at the back end, and Patidar noted how satisfying it was to see so many different players contribute to the win.
DC vs RCB: What Patidar’s post-match words say about RCB’s mindset?
The most telling part of Patidar’s comments wasn’t just the praise for his bowlers, but the mindset he described for the rest of the season. He emphasised that the team are taking it one game at a time and that their depth, rather than a reliance on superstars, is what gives him confidence. With five wins from seven games, RCB are sitting pretty in second place. This massive win, ending the game with 81 balls remaining, serves as a warning to the rest of the league.
“Absolutely, but I think even I am surprised the way wicket played, and all credit goes to bowlers, the way they have bowled, especially in the powerplay, Hazlewood and Bhuvi. I think the way they have, you know, hit those areas and got that a bit of swing earlier, I think that was tremendous to see. (more swing than normal early on?) I think the swing was normal, and the good thing was we got the early wicket, and that’s why it kept us on the driving seat.”
When asked why he didn’t extend the spells of Kumar and Hazlewood, Patidar explained the pre-planned bowling strategy: “No, no. I think I was… we had planned earlier that if we got early wickets, then we would go three-three overs of each. And let’s see how the wicket is behaving and the way afterwards the Suyash and Sheppy bowled, I think the areas. And Suyash also bowled. I think he got a lot of spin, I would say, but I think the way he bowled stump to stump, I think that was really good to see. (on keeping the winning run going)
It’s very important to follow your routines because you know it’s still a long way to go, but I think we are just taking one game at a time. And the positive is, as I mentioned last game also, that different players coming up and doing it for the team, I think that’s a good sign for us.”
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Patidar’s calm approach and the team’s clinical execution show a captain finding his feet. The DC vs RCB game was a stark reminder that if there is any help in the pitch, this RCB attack can end a game before the opposition even settles in.
