In a closely fought RCB vs DC IPL 2025 match, Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a dramatic victory over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Though they had the advantage at crucial moments, Delhi surrendered the game because of a series of tactical blunders and lost opportunities. RCB overhauled the target of 163 in 18.3 overs, revealing some serious weaknesses in DC’s strategy.
Errors made in RCB vs DC under Axar Patel’s captaincy
1. Slow Batting in the Middle Overs Cost Delhi Momentum
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After a red-hot powerplay beginning during which DC had scored 52/1 off 6 overs, their run rate fell sharply. They were only 108/4 at the 15th over, adding just 56 runs in 9 overs.
The failure to rotate strike or hit boundaries during the middle phase saw Delhi end up with a subpar score of 162, while having a platform to shoot for something bigger.
2. Starc’s Second Spell Came Too Late
Another critical error came in the bowling strategy. Mitchell Starc, Delhi’s premier fast bowler, was held back for too long. He returned only in the 16th over, by which time Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya had already settled and built momentum.
When Starc finally came back, he had a catching opportunity, but it was spilled by Abhishek Porel, missing a crucial breakthrough. Had Starc been brought in the 13th over, when RCB started making the gears shift, pressure would have been invoked sooner.
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3. Underutilization of Vipraj Nigam on a Spin-Friendly Pitch
The Arun Jaitley pitch provided significant support to spinners. While Axar Patel bowled a tight spell (4-0-19-1) and Kuldeep Yadav gave away only 28 in his quota, Vipraj Nigam, who has a record of getting rid of both Kohli and Krunal in their last match, was strangely handed only one over. In a spin control-dominated game, this move was a huge tactical blunder by Axar.
4. Allocating the Pivotal 19th Over to Mukesh Kumar
One of the most controversial decisions in the RCB vs DC IPL 2025 thriller was Axar Patel’s decision to give Mukesh Kumar the 19th over, with 17 runs remaining to be scored.
Not only had Mukesh already leaked 32 runs in his first three overs, but Mitchell Starc also had an over remaining. The gesture backfired magnificently as Tim David thrashed Mukesh for 19 runs in only three balls, finishing off the match with ease and leaving Starc on the bench.
Delhi lost the Match due to Avoidable Mistakes
Even with a competitive total and some well-controlled early bowling, Delhi Capitals caved under pressure due to a series of ill-planned decisions in this RCB vs DC IPL 2025 match.
Was it the tardy deployment of Starc, defensive batting during the middle overs, or underutilizing Vipraj?? Each blunder left RCB with its nose more fully into the pavilion. With the icing of Abhishek Porel’s dropped catch, the match was effectively delivered to Bengaluru.
ALSO READ: RCB vs DC IPL 2025: RCB Avenges DC In Delhi By 6 Wickets
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