The excitement is building as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) prepare to host the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, April 10, in what promises to be a thrilling IPL 2025 encounter.
RCB Look to Break Unlucky Home records
RCB have had a strong start to their campaign, winning three out of their first four matches. However, their only defeat came at home against Gujarat Titans, raising questions about their consistency at Chinnaswamy. That said, the team is riding high on confidence after beating Mumbai Indians at Wankhede for the first time in a decade.
Virat Kohli was the star of that match, scoring a fiery 67, and creating history by becoming the first Indian to reach 13,000 T20 runs. Skipper Rajat Patidar, along with Jitesh Sharma, played key roles in setting a big total, while Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya impressed with the ball, taking 8 and 7 wickets respectively so far in the tournament.
Delhi Capitals: The Team to Beat
Delhi Capitals are the only unbeaten team in IPL 2025, having won all three of their matches so far. Their victories have come in different ways – a narrow one-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants, and dominant performances against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
The team looks balanced and focused. KL Rahul stepped up in their last match with a classy 71-run knock, while Mitchell Starc has been deadly with the ball, taking 9 wickets in 3 matches, including a five-wicket haul against SRH. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also been effective, with 6 wickets at an economy rate of just 6.00.
Key Battles to Watch
Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Starc: Kohli has dominated Starc in the past, scoring 40 runs off 19 balls without getting dismissed. Can Starc turn the tables this time?
RCB middle order vs DC spin attack: DC's spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Vipraj Nigam will challenge RCB’s strong middle order, featuring Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, and Tim David.
Josh Hazlewood vs DC top order: Hazlewood’s economy in the powerplay has been outstanding. His battle with DC’s aggressive openers could shape the match.
Match Details
Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Date: Thursday, April 10
Time: Toss at 7:00 PM IST | Match starts at 7:30 PM IST
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Live Broadcast: Star Sports
Live Streaming: JioHotstar
Team News & Probable XIs
RCB Probable XII:
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma/Swapnil Singh/Rasikh Salam
DC Probable XII:
Faf du Plessis/Sameer Rizvi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (C), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma/T Natarajan, Ashutosh Sharma
Head-to-Head Stats
Matches Played: 31
RCB Wins: 19
DC Wins: 11
No Result: 1
Quick Facts
Kohli’s strike rate in the powerplay has jumped to 162 since IPL 2024.
Josh Hazlewood has the best dot-ball percentage (72.92%) in the powerplay this season.
Fraser-McGurk has the highest strike rate (205) in the powerplay this season (min. 200 runs).
Axar Patel has kept big hitters like Jitesh Sharma and Tim David in check with low strike rates and key dismissals.
Final Thought:
With Delhi Capitals looking unbeatable and RCB eager to defend their home turf, this clash is set to be a battle of momentum vs motivation. Can RCB end DC’s winning streak, or will Delhi march on unbeaten? Tune in on Thursday to find out!
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