Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar reduce Delhi to IPL’s lowest powerplay score — and Kohli steals the show anyway

RCB cantered to an eight-wicket win, taking only 39 balls to complete the 76-run chase. Two losses at home in two days — succumbing to the highest-ever chase in IPL history against Punjab Kings on Saturday, then this — have left Delhi reeling.

Virat Kohli’s presence looms so large over this fixture that it needed something truly special to steal the spotlight away from him as Royal Challengers Bengaluru made their way to the Feroz Shah Kotla on Monday. (BCCI/Creimas Photo)

Special spells

There were no indications of Delhi’s pitch having the kind of spice that the scorecard suggests. It wasn’t outrightly dead; a bit of seam movement was on offer. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar’s ploys were predictable — the in-form pacers have been effective in the powerplay this season across a range of conditions. But the history-making feat came thanks to soft dismissals and poor technique as much as it did to quality bowling.

Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar ripped through them with such ease that eight for six in the fourth over looked like a lucky break.

Bhuvneshwar got things started, ripping through the middle stump of left-handed Sahil Parakh on debut with a brilliant in-swinging yorker. The Indian veteran — 14 wickets after this game, joint highest wicket-taker in the competition — seems back to his best. The pace has expectedly not gone up with age, but then it had never been his weapon. The devilish movement with the new ball, and the craft, remain. Moving it both ways, he had Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel both prodding to first slip and the keeper respectively, unable to read the late movement.

There was no respite from the other end. Hazlewood was consistently quick and disciplined, sticking to his Test-match length — international-grade quality that Delhi’s batters simply could not handle. KL Rahul and Nitish Rana were both caught for pace, planted deep in their crease, attempting pull shots on balls that quickly rose on them and top-edging back to the pavilion. The Australian ended Abhishek Porel’s cameo, and the DC innings, with a scorching yorker to crown a spell of four for 12.

No recovery

That Delhi needed an opening batter at No. 7 — coming to the middle while the team score was still in single digits and the new ball still zipping around — told the story. Porel survived and stayed the course. Those around him, including cameos from David Miller and Kyle Jamieson, attempted a revival, but Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar had the game won for RCB long before that.

The chase was over before it began, but the crowd finally rose as the RCB openers walked in. Kohli’s lofted straight drive for four off his second ball had them roaring for the first time all night. Devdutt Padikkal and Jacob Bethell tonked the Delhi bowlers around while the Delhi batter waited patiently at the non-striker’s end as the crowd chanted his name. He finished proceedings with two back-to-back sixes.

The home boy had given them a few moments of glee that the home team comprehensively failed to.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 75 all out in 16.3 overs (Porel 30; Hazlewood 4/12, Bhuvneshwar 3/5) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 77/1 in 6.3 overs (Padikkal 34 not out, Kohli 23 not out) by eight wickets.