As RCB search for their first win of the season at their home ground, all eyes are on star batter Virat Kohli, who has been in great form throughout the season. Virat Kohli slammed a half-century as they were put in to bat first. He has already created history by becoming the first player in the world to achieve a massive feat.
Virat Kohli now has scored 3500 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru across all T20s in 105 innings. He now becomes the first player in the world to score 3500 runs at a single venue in T20s. Coming into the game, Virat Kohli already held the record for the most T20 runs at a single venue, and with this milestone, he further strengthened the record.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally gave their home fans something to cheer about after halting a three-match losing streak at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with a gripping 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday. It was a thrilling game in Bengaluru, with both teams gaining the upper hand at different moments before RCB eventually held their nerves to close out the match, defending a 206-run target
Virat Kohli, the shine with the bat
Virat Kohli has been in sensational form for RCB in the IPL 2025. He has scored 376 runs in the tournament so far, and lies third on the Orange Cap leaderboard. He is also the leading run scorer for RCB this season. In the match against the Rajasthan Royals, Virat Kohli has already smashed his fifth half-century of the season. He is the player with the joint-most number of 50+ scores this season alongside Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan.
Virat Kohli was dismissed after he scored 70 runs from 42 balls in an innings studded with 8 fours and 2 sixes. After three consecutive home defeats featuring underwhelming batting displays, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally posted a total north of 200 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to set up a thrilling win over Rajasthan Royals (RR). Virat Kohli, who top-scored with 70, said the batting unit had discussed what they needed to do differently, and on Thursday they were able to apply themselves and find a template that worked.
Unlike in their previous three home games, where they lost at least three wickets in the powerplay trying to take on the bowlers, RCB got through the first six overs against RR with all their wickets intact. And after Phil Salt became the first batter to be dismissed in the seventh over, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal put on a 95-run stand to set up a grand finish.
RCB posted 205 for 5, a total that RR fell 11 runs short of despite looking comfortable for large parts of their chase. That RCB prevailed was thanks largely to Josh Hazlewood’s excellent spell at the death. Virat Kohli spoke about the challenges he faced as an opening batter in Bengaluru as RCB broke their losing streak at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Virat Kohli expresses his opinion after securing RCB’S first win at home in IPL 2025
Virat Kohli emphasised that RCB executed a well-planned batting strategy against RR, with his and Devdutt Padikkal’s efforts helping the team finally adapt to Chinnaswamy conditions and secure their first home win of IPL 2025.
Virat Kohli was the star of the show with the bat yet again, scoring a brilliant 70 off 42 deliveries, but had a wry smile and a rather cheeky remark in his post-match interview about their home fortunes, which hinted at deeper frustration now tinged with relief. When asked about the challenges he faces as an opening batter while batting in Bengaluru, Kohli hilariously told JioHotstar,
“The first challenge is winning the toss (chuckles).”
“In the second half there is always dew. We’ve struggled to put on a par score,” Kohli said after RCB finally cracked the code at home.
It was a line delivered with humour but laced with truth, considering RCB had lost the toss in all four home games this season. Their previously unblemished away form – five wins in five on the road — had made their home slump all the more baffling.
Thursday night, though, brought a shift. Asked to bat first once again, Kohli led from the front with a fluent 70, setting the foundation alongside Devdutt Padikkal, who hammered 50 off just 27 deliveries. The pair stitched together a 95-run stand for the second wicket, giving RCB the platform they had so sorely missed in earlier home matches. A late push took them to 205/5, which proved just enough.
“Look, we’ve had three pretty average games at home and we discussed a few things we need to get right as a batting unit and we applied ourselves well to get the total on board,” Kohli said, underlining the introspection that followed RCB’s string of home defeats.
“The pitch wasn’t as flat as the score makes it look. Dew made the ball come on nicely in the second half and credit to Rajasthan for coming out and playing some good shots.”
With RR cruising at 110/2 at one stage, it took a late burst of brilliance from Josh Hazlewood (4/33) to turn the tide. The Australian seamer held his nerve at the death, including a remarkable penultimate over that swung the match decisively in RCB’s favour.
Virat Kohli also shed light on the team’s renewed clarity in approach:
“The template is now pretty simple, for one guy to bat through and the others to attack around him. Devdutt and I know this ground well. Just wanted to let Salt do his thing at the top.”
“Today we just tried to time the ball and keep enough pressure on the opposition to keep giving us boundary balls,” he added.
RCB with 12 points with 6 wins in 9 matches has leapfrogged MI to the third position in the points table and would look to carry the winning momentum forward in upcoming matches. The win lifted RCB to third on the IPL 2025 table, combining batting composure with late-innings bowling brilliance to finally tame their home turf.