IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals take RCB for a wild spin with Kuldeep Yadav, Vipraj Nigam and KL Rahul on fire

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This was the 'Daddy Cool' version of KL Rahul on view at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday (April 10) night in a high stakes game for Delhi Capitals. In a match filled with twists and turns, literally, Rahul beat rain to produce the winning runs (93) as Delhi won by six wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The ebb and flow in this contest of the IPL 2025 was not meant for pusillanimous fans. By every measure, it was high stakes and RCB were playing at home in front of raucous crowds. In the end, As Rahul raced and paced his knock, forcing even the most bitter critic of his to have a change of heart on his scoring rate, the end result stood out.

It was not a one-sided contest at all as there were plots and sub plots in the match like an Agatha Christie thriller. If the early assault launched by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli was seen, it was scary.

Scoring over 60 runs in over three overs, this was more like two Formula One car drivers hitting the 'speed trap' and pushing the limits. Then came that horrible mix-up which saw Phil Salt run out for 37 runs where his four boundaries and three sixes had left fans with jaws gaping.

This is the madness of T20 cricket, when the start is so good, a mix-up leading to a run-out had acted like a circuit breaker. There was no way RCB got going again, and the lack of runs from Devdutt Padikkal is worrying. Rajat Partidar tried hard but the way Delhi Capitals used their two-pronged spin attack was tantalising.

The surface at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is not easy to read. What the naked eyes see and what character it (wicket) exhibits is so different. Certainly, it does not aid spin, but two tweakers, cunning like a fox, ensured an RCB run skid. Kuldeep Yadav has been an important bowler for India.

For the Delhi Capitals, till now, he has had a quiet outing. But then, when he and Vipraj Nigam, his statemate from Uttar Pradesh got into the act, RCB were caught in a quagmire.

Kuldeep's left arm wrist spin is hard to read and the best have succumbed, even in international cricket. As for 20-year-old Vipraj, he has been a bold cricketer who dares to unleash his right arm wrist spin. He had made an impact in the UP State T20 league last season.

Maybe, the joy of bowling alongside Kuldeep and led by Axar Patel allowed these him to attack. In the end, if RCB could score only 163 for 7 in 20 overs, Kuldeep's analysis of 4-01-7-2 and Vipraj's 4-0-18-2 were defining on a surface where it was not twin-paced and the bounce was consistent. Certainly, this did not look like the usual wicket prepared by the KSCA curators.

For Delhi Capitals's, a chase of 164 was easy on paper. Given the flair they have shown this season, where almost everything is new, from captain to coaching staff and players, intent has been positive.

Yet, when Delhi Capitals were crippled to be at 30 for three and 58 for four, KL Rahul had to show what he could do. Having taken a short paternity break after he and Athiya Shetty were blessed with a child on March 24, Rahul has returned in a great state of mind.

Indian cricket has seen him blossom from the days of turning out for Karnataka in first class cricket, be the blue-eyed boy of former coach Rahul Dravid and excel for India. He has played all formats, though in recent months KL Rahul is being hyped as a better wicket-keeper and batter in the ODIs.

He now has the blessings of coach Gautam Gambhir, so when he played a lead role in India winning the Champions Trophy, it was a good sight. KL Rahul has adapted to roles assigned to him without any resistance. He has been moved up and down the batting order, though for Delhi Capitals, the No.4 slot looks good. And what a performance he unleashed on Thursday at his 'home ground.'

There is something for every athlete to perform at a venue where you have grown up. The human eye can adjust to the settings, know what is where. Certainly, to be a first-class cricketer from Karnataka and having played so much at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Rahul was going to use that to his advantage.

He read the pitch well, understandable that, as the wicket-keeper gets the best view. He could read the behaviour of the ball and what to execute. That kind of acumen helps, when you are not a batter who plays on instinct alone.

For those who say Rahul was born with a silver spoon his mouth, the way he has reinvented is important. His IPL presence is spread over four teams, an early stint in RCB, then moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Elevated to captaincy in Punjab and then moving to Lucknow Super Giants, he has had a 'Bharat Darshan; of sorts. Today, as a key player for Delhi Capitals without any captaincy headache, Rahul is playing free cricket.

His glovework has been neat and as a batter he has blossomed like the famous roses in Bengaluru. The onslaught against Josh Hazlewood on Thursday was fierce. To shred the Aussie fast bowler was a sight to watch, where Rahul showed great stage presence and character for 22 runs in one over.

It was a brutal assault which showed KL Rahul was not going to do 'tuk tuk' batting but stay at the crease and create a geometry of shots where the ball raced to all corners of the stadium. He played square off the wicket, showed a great eye in aggression on the leg side and was also effective in hitting straight.

If Rahul's batting can be viewed as a pie chart drawing, Rahul had punched in all directions, with non-stiker South African Tristan Stubbs (unbeaten on 38) enjoying the view from the closest position.

Where do DC go from here? Well, they finally head home to Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. To have won four matches on the trot, there is something big which Axar Patel has charted out as the skipper.