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IPL 2025: Salt, Kohli power Royal Challengers Bengaluru to fourth straight away win
Phil Salt led the way with a blistering 65 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down Rajasthan Royals’ 173 with nine wickets and 15 balls to spare in the season’s first game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The win, RCB’s fourth on the bounce away from home, pushed them back up into the playoffs positions.
Where was the game won?
In the two PowerPlays. The pitch appeared to play a touch slower in the first innings, as toss-winning captain Rajat Patidar might have hoped for, but the Royals opening pair of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not allowed to get going. In contrast, Salt effectively sealed the game with his onslaught in the first six overs, after which the chase was but a procession.
| Parameter | RR | RCB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/0 | 65/0 |
| Run Rate | 7.5 | 10.83 |
| 4s/6s | 6/1 | 6/4 |
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
PowerPlay: An arm-wrestle of a start
Phase Score: 45/0 (RR: 7.5; 4s/6s: 6/1)
RCB did well to keep one of this season’s fastest-scoring PowerPlay sides to just 45 runs, even though they couldn’t break through with a wicket. The pitch played slow and wasn’t easy to hit through the line early on, and RCB’s seamers hit good lengths consistently to make strokeplay difficult. They also showed tactical flexibility-using a short third man as a fly slip and a short extra cover for Sanju Samson. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the more fluent of the two openers, using his feet well and struck six of the seven boundaries RR managed in the phase. Samson, in contrast, found it harder to get going, managing just 13 off 16 balls.
Middle Overs: Jaiswal holds firm at one end
Phase Score: 69/2 (RR: 7.67; 4s/6s: 7/1)
Krunal Pandya was brought on right after the PowerPlay and immediately struck, stumping the struggling Sanju Samson. RCB leaned on their spinners in the early part of this phase, and Suyash Sharma should’ve had a wicket too-but Yash Dayal shelled a regulation chance at backward point off Riyan Parag, in an over that leaked 12. It summed up a forgettable fielding display from RCB, marked by seven misfields and two dropped catches.
Jaiswal and Parag steadied the innings with a 56-run stand, but just as the pair looked set to accelerate, Dayal returned and broke through-deceiving Parag with a slower ball that he chipped straight to extra cover. By then, Jaiswal had moved to his third half-century at this venue, off 35 balls. Krunal, meanwhile, quietly delivered a crucial spell, finishing with 4-0-29-1.
Death Overs: Late flourish takes RR to a competitive score
Phase Score: 59/2 (RR: 11.80; 4s/6s: 5/3)
Jaiswal looked set for a blazing finish when he took on Hazlewood in the 16th over, striking a six and a four. But the Australian hit back, trapping him LBW for a well-made 75 off 48. RCB then missed another opportunity in Suyash Sharma’s final over-this time Virat Kohli spilling a sitter at long-off to reprieve Dhruv Jurel. That drop proved costly. Jurel capitalised, hitting a pair of fours and sixes in an unbeaten 23-ball 35 that helped RR push past the 170 mark. It was still the second-lowest total for a team losing just four wickets since the inception of the Impact Player rule.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU
PowerPlay: Salt into RR’s wounds
Phase Score: 65/0 (RR: 10.83; 4s/6s: 6/4)
The drop-catching bug carried into the second innings, and Phil Salt made the Royals pay, blasting 46 of the 65 PowerPlay runs with four sixes and as many fours. He was let off on 40 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, shortly after Riyan Parag put down a high catch that denied Sandeep Sharma a record-equalling eighth dismissal of Virat Kohli in the IPL.
The Royals’ bowlers, especially Jofra Archer, found appreciable swing early on, but by the end of the phase, they were at the mercy of Salt’s clean hitting and bat swing.
Middle Overs: Kohli scores 100th T20 50
Phase Score: 81/1 (RR: 9.00; 4s/6s: 5/4)
Salt showed no signs of slowing down against spin, even with the field spread. He made room and drilled Wanindu Hasaranga through extra cover to bring up a 28-ball half-century, then followed it up with a six each off Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya. His blistering 33-ball 65, featuring six sixes, ended when he holed out to Kartikeya, but not before a 92-run opening stand had all but sealed the game.
Kohli, who had played second fiddle during the assault, shifted gears seamlessly. From 30 off 28, he scored 20 off his next 11 balls, including a pristine straight six stepping down to his former teammate Hasaranga. His third half-century of the season also marked his 100th 50 in T20s, a milestone only David Warner has reached before.
Death Overs: Padikkal helps seal dominant win
Phase Score: 29/0 (RR: 12.61; 4s/6s: 3/1)
Devdutt Padikkal carried on his strong start to the tournament, finishing unbeaten on a brisk 40 off 28 balls as RCB chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 173/5 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Dhruv Jurel 35*, Sanju Samson 15, Riyan Parag 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-32, Yash Dayal 1-36, Josh Hazelwood 1-26, Krunal Pandya 1-29) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 175/1 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62*, Devdutt Padikkal 40*; Kumar Kartikeya 1-25) by 9 wickets.
What’s next for the teams?
Rajasthan Royals are on the road again and will face LSG at the Ekana Stadium on April 16. RCB have a slightly longer break in the middle of their hectic schedule. They will face the big-hitting PBKS hoping to register their first home win on April 18.
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Heat index, is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. 27 April 2025, valid for 28 April 2025
The public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated. Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
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People have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans sans ethnic or religious divisions- PM
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that for the first time in history, mosques in Kandy had opened their doors to accommodate the needs of devotees visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and that people have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans beyond dividing into ethnicities and religions.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a public gathering held in the Paragahadeniya area in Kurunegala.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:
“This country is undergoing a transformation we expected,so accordingly, we must operate in new ways. People are beginning to feel that we must work towards a new transformation. We can see this change even within our ministries. These days, sometimes when we visit ministries even after 5 PM, and ask if it is possible to have discussions, the officials are always open. Today, public officials are willing to work late into the night, until 9 or 10 PM. Officials have now started working without fear.
Remarkably, for the first time in history, Muslim mosques in Kandy remained open throughout the night to accommodate pilgrims visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. They even provided space for devotees to rest. There were no ethnic or religious tensions. What we saw was respect for other ethnicities and religions. This is happening because there is now a sense of a government that represents all Sri Lankan people, not just Sinhalese, Muslims, or Tamils”.
The event was attended by the candidates for the local government election including the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
A sensational all-round display from Krunal Pandya led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the IPL 2025 table as they outbowled and outbatted Delhi Capitals in a tense clash on a tricky, two-paced surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
A strong display with the ball set things up, as RCB sent DC in and restricted them to 162 for 8, with Bhuveneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazelwood picking up five wickets between them, and Suvash Sharma and Krunal strangling with spin through the middle overs. The chase was never going to be straightforward, though, given the conditions and DC’s attack, and RCB duly slipped to 26 for 3 after four overs.
Krunal, though, hauled RCB out of the mire and put them in front, over the course of a 119-run fourth-wicket stand with Virat Kohli, who made his sixth half-century of the season, and his fourth in a chase.
The recovery came in two phases. By the 10-over mark, Kohli and Krunal had put on 40 in 36 balls, and neither batter was looking fluent. But Krunal found his hitting range, and took off. Having been on 17 off 21 balls at one stage, he hit 56 off his last 26 balls. Kohli fell for 51 off 47 with RCB needing 18 off 13. There was no late twist, though, as Tim David finished with a flurry of boundaries, sealing victory with nine balls remaining.
Abhishek Porel struck the ball sweetly at the start of DC’s innings to score 28 off 11 balls, and Tristan Stubbs made an innovative 34 off 18 at the finish, but DC’s other batters struggled, scoring just 96 off 92 balls between them.
Faf du Plesis, returning from a groin injury and playing his first game since April 10, and KL Rahul struggled for fluency in particular, scoring 22 off 26 and 41 off 39 respectively.
The surface was partly responsible for this, with the ball gripping and occasionally staying low too, and RCB’s bowling played its part too, with Suyash and Krunal especially suffocating through the middle overs, bowling at high pace into the pitch and keeping width to a minimum.
And DC suffered two crucial jolts.
First, just when Axzr Patel was beginning to look dangerous, having slogged Krunal for a six in the previous over, Hazlewood came back and bowled DC’s captain in the 14th. This took some pressure off Suyash and Krunal – who may not have relished bowling to the left-handed Axar – and they finished their quotas by conceding a combined 13 runs across the 15th and 16th overs, against Rahul and a new-to-the-crease Stubbs.
Then, when Bhuvneshwar dismissed Rahul in the 17th, DC sent in Ashutosh Sharma as their Impact Player. They had named a bowler-heavy XI despite batting first, with the hope that they could bring in the extra bowler if their top order enjoyed a good day. As it happened, they were forced to bring in a batter, and he was out third ball, bowled by a legcutter from Bhuvneshwar.
Stubbs and Vinrai Nigam then provided the spark that DC had sorely lacked up to then, using the V behind the wicket smartly to collect a combined 36 runs across the 18th and 19th overs. Bhuvneshwar, though, cut short the fireworks with a superb 20th over, dismissing Stubbs and only conceding six runs (one of them off a leg-bye) despite bowling with an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle with RCB having run into an over-rate penalty.
Replacing Phil Salt, who was out with fever, Jacob Bethell played a short and exciting innings on IPL debut. He flicked Mitchell Starc for a six and a four off successive balls in the second over, before being done in by the slowness of the pitch, miscuing a pull off Axar to deep midwicket in the third over.
Despite the presence of the left-handed Bethell, Axar had bowled the first and the third overs. He ended up dismissing not one but two left-handers, with Devdutt Padikkal, RCB’s Impact Player, chopping on while attempting a cut two balls later.
Karun Nair had taken an excellent catch in the deep to send Bethell back, and he was soon in play once again when Kohli clipped one in his direction at midwicket and seemed to take off for a single before coming to an abrupt stop. Rajpat Patidar hared out of his crease at the other end, and it was too late by the time he turned back and dived, with Nair’s direct hit finding him well short.
The first part of RCB’s recovery wasn’t pretty. The pitch was still a tricky one for run-scoring, and one moment summed it up perfectly. A short ball from Nigam seemed ripe for pulling, but it lost so much pace off the pitch that it was on its way down by the time Kohli met it with his inside edge.
For all their lack of fluency, though, Kohli and Krunal were ensuring RCB had wickets at the back end, and at the halfway mark they needed 99 off 60 balls.
It was Krunal who switched gears, and he did it dramatically, whipping Dushmantha Chameera for a leg-side six in the 11th over and clearing the boundary twice off Mukesh Kumar in the 13th: the last of these hits, a length ball launched over long-off with a full extension of the arms, showed just how much Krunal had got to grips with the conditions.
And in the next over he showed he could do it against spin too, going over extra-cover off Kuldeep Yadav when he floated one into his arc.
DC’s last chance to get back in the game came in the 16th over, when Starc forced Krunal to miscue a pull with a sharp short ball angled across the left-hander from left-arm around. Running in from deep midwicket, Porel put down a sitter. Before this ball, RCB needed 40 off 25 balls.
By the time Chameera broke the partnership with a slower legcutter to Kohli in the 18th, DC were almost out of it. David then hurried RCB over the line, going 6, 4 (plus no-ball), 4, 4 as Mukesh’s attempted yorkers in the 19th over ended up as a succession of full-tosses and half-volleys.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 165 for 4 in 18.3 overs (Krunal Pandya 73*, Virat Kohli 51, Jacob Bethel 12, Tim David 19*; Axar Patel 2-19, Dushmantha Chameera 1-24) beat Delhi Capitals 162 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Porel 28, Faf du Plesis 22, KL Rahul 41, Axar Patel 15, Tristan Stubbs 34, Vipraj Nigam 12; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-33, Yash Dayal 1-42, Josh Hazlewood 2-36, Krunal Pandya 1-28) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
Heat index, is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in Eastern and North-central provinces and Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts
People have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans sans ethnic or religious divisions- PM
Heavy showers about 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Eastern and North-central provinces and in Vavuniya, Mullaittivu and Kurunegala districts.
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