Delhi Capitals beat RCB by 7 wickets in IPL
New Delhi, May 6: England cricketer Phil Salt struck a swashbuckling 87 off 45 balls as Delhi Capitals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Chasing 182 for a win, Salt smashed eight fours and six maximums as DC reached 187/3 with 20 balls to spare.
Besides Salt, who is playing in his maiden IPL, the other notable contributors for DC were skipper David Warner (22), Mitchell Marsh (26) and Rilee Rossouw (35 not out).
RCB opener Virat Kohli and young middle-order batter Mahipal Lomror had earlier scored half centuries as their team posted 181/4.
Kohli, who became the first cricketer in IPL to reach the landmark 7,000-run mark, scored his 55 off 46 balls, while Lomror took just 29 deliveries for his unbeaten 54.
Kohli also shared an 82-run opening partnership with skipper Faf du Plessis, who scored a 32-ball 45.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 181 for 4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 55, Faf du Plessis 45, Mahipal Lomror 54 not out; Mitchell Marsh 2/21).
Delhi Capitals: 187 for 3 in 16.4 overs (Phil Salt 87, Rilee Rossouw 35 not out).
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Rahul's exhilarating 152 powers DC to 264/2
New Delhi (PTI): KL Rahul blended grace with power to script a stroke-filled 152, the third-highest individual IPL score, while Nitish Rana (91) batted with authority as the duo powered hosts Delhi Capitals to a mammoth 264 for 2 against Punjab Kings here on Saturday.
Setting a target for the first time this season, the Capitals came out with clear intent, attacking anything in their arc from the outset.
The home team hit a total of 29 fours and 13 sixes to put on board the highest total of the 2026 IPL season.
Striking at over 200 throughout the 20 overs, Rahul (152 off 67 balls) unfurled a range of classical strokes all around the ground, seamlessly combining timing with aggression to put up the highest-score ever by an Indian in the IPL.
With the knock, he also became only the third player to go beyond 150-run mark after Chris Gayle (175) and Brendon McCullum (158).
Dropped on 18 by Shashank Singh, he made full use of the reprieve, forging a 220-run stand with local boy Rana for the second wicket. It was second biggest stand in IPL history behind 229 set by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Rana looked completely at ease on his home ground. His 44-ball knock, laced with 11 fours and 4 sixes, provided the perfect foil as the duo kept the scoreboard ticking at a brisk pace.
Rahul set the tone early, striking back-to-back boundaries in the second over before Pathum Nissanka chipped in with a crisp four.
Although Punjab struck an early blow with Nissanka top-edging to the keeper, their bowlers found little respite thereafter. They were also guilty of a few misfields, which only added to their woes.
Rahul and Rana seized control, punishing anything loose and propelling Delhi to 68 for one, DC's best powerplay score of the season before plundering 145 runs in the middle overs.
Rana then shifted gears in spectacular fashion, taking apart Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett in the 12th over for 28 runs.
The left-hander dealt exclusively in boundaries, smashing two sixes and four fours in a sequence of 6,4,4,4,4,6.
At the other end, Rahul was equally ruthless, taking a liking to Vijaykumar Vyshak in the 16th over, from which he plundered three sixes and a four, as Delhi tightened their grip on the contest.
