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Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar didn’t hold back after his team suffered a six-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals at home on Thursday. Visibly frustrated, Patidar blamed his side’s batting collapse for the loss, calling it “not acceptable” after RCB squandered a strong start.
“We have not batted well. Batters are in a good frame of mind, they have shown nice intent. But 60 for one, and then 90 for four — that is not acceptable,” Patidar said in the post-match presentation.
RCB got off to a flying start, thanks to Phil Salt’s aggressive hitting in the powerplay, reaching 61/1 inside the fourth over. However, a sudden slump saw them lose wickets in quick succession, and they eventually managed only 163/7 — a total that proved too little against a confident DC side.
Patidar acknowledged a misjudgment in reading the pitch conditions. “We thought it would be a nice batting track. We were lacking in assessing the conditions and the situation,” he admitted. He did, however, praise Tim David’s late flourish, saying, “The way David accelerated at the end, it was really amazing.”
RCB’s bowlers started strong, reducing DC to 30/3, but KL Rahul’s composed 93* guided the visitors to victory with 13 balls to spare.
Player of the Match KL Rahul credited his preparation and wicketkeeping awareness for his standout performance. “Being behind the stumps for 20 overs gave me a good read on the pitch. It was slightly tricky, but one-paced and consistent,” he explained.
Rahul, who played much of his early cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, said that local familiarity helped him strategize. “This is my home ground. I know the dimensions and pockets. I always try to adapt in practice by experimenting — it helps me understand where to hit sixes and rotate strike.”
DC skipper Axar Patel praised Rahul’s maturity and leadership at the crease. “He played a very mature innings and finished it off brilliantly. Having someone like him makes my job easier,” Axar said, noting that Rahul’s experience in pressure situations was invaluable.
Axar also credited the team’s growing confidence after four consecutive wins. “Everyone is playing with confidence. We study match-ups and conditions closely. Today, we held back pacers because we felt RCB preferred facing them. Spin worked well in the powerplay,” he said.
Delhi’s spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, bowled with intent and control, tightening the screws on RCB in the middle overs. Their effort, combined with Rahul’s brilliance, handed DC a dominant win and left RCB searching for answers.
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