Rajat Patidar and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Blazing Start Ends in Hiccups

Rajat Patidar and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Blazing Start Ends in Hiccups

It was supposed to be a jubilant evening at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on Delhi Capitals (DC) in their highly anticipated home match of the IPL 2026. However, the evening descended into despair as the home team succumbed to a dismal defeat, handing over a vital win to the Delhi outfit. The RCB batters, however, put on a spectacular display of resilience, a trait that has defined their campaign this season.

Phil Salt’s Promising Start

The star-studded RCB lineup witnessed a promising start from their English sensation Phil Salt. The 28-year-old made the most of the early batting powerplay, scoring 27 runs from 15 deliveries. His 34-ball stay at the crease not only set the tone for the innings but also provided RCB with much-needed momentum in their quest to overcome the Delhi Capitals.

However, RCB’s top order woes resurfaced in the 7th over as the Rcb batsman, Virat Kohli, failed to make an impact, falling to Naveen Ul Haq. The departure of both, Salt and Kohli, raised concerns about the team’s middle order, a chink in the armor that the opposition was more than happy to exploit.

Natarajan’s Stellar Showstopping Spell

The Delhi Capitals’ left-arm pacer Natarajan put on a stellar display in the death overs. Bowling with immense precision and patience, the spinner restricted RCB’s batsmen to a meager 10 runs in the final 6 balls of the match. His 3 runs in 2 wickets and 2 overs has given him the third position in the wicket taker chart in the IPL 2026.