First home win buoys RCB as they strengthen playoff hopes while also spreading home cheer in crucial victory.
First home win of the season. Boy that will gee up the spirits of Rajat Patidar’s men as they finally right a longstanding blemish this season.
As of right now, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has won six of their nine IPL 2025 games. It’s wonderful news because three of their five remaining games are in Bengaluru. However, RR is moving in the opposite way.
Of course, anything can happen, but it doesn’t appear like RR will make the playoffs from here.
This year, they are dropping important catches, losing wickets exactly when they need to step on the accelerator. It happens in T20s, and that’s been their biggest concern. Long story short, they are crumbling in the crunch moments.
At the conclusion of their pursuit, they did just that. They needed 18 runs from the final two with five wickets remaining after taking a 22-run over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th. They lost four wickets and scored six runs.
As a result of all of this, RCB is currently ranked third in the standings and has a strong chance of making the playoffs.
“We were struggling at the end there when they needed 17 [18] off 12 balls,” RCB coach Andy Flower said. “And the composure that the bowlers showed out there and also that Rajat Patidar [as the captain] showed out there, I am really proud of the way they held themselves under pressure.”
“It’s very important,” Flower said. “We’ve had four home games and we’ve lost the toss each time. We know that trying to defend a target here is tough. In the first three games, I thought our bowlers and fielding unit did outstanding work to keep us in the game as long as they did. Because all three totals were a bit below par. So, watching our guys [batters] adapt to the conditions today was really gratifying. I was really proud of the way they batted.
“Obviously, our wonderful supporters wanted to see some of that success [that we had on the road]. They were concerned about us here at home. We’ve got three more games here at home. So vitally important for us to play well in these conditions. And it was great to put on a show.”