Virat Kohli is a run-scoring machine who loves run chases, doing this over and over again for close to two decades now. The RCB superstar was the cornerstone of his side’s massive yet crucial six-wicket win over the hosts Delhi Capitals on Sunday evening, propelling the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the points table in IPL 2025.

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Kohli completed his sixth fifty (51) this season, and alongside all-rounder Krunal Pandya, the star of the night for picking one wicket and scoring an unbeaten 73, helped RCB complete IPL’s first in Delhi. They became the first-ever team in IPL history to win six away matches on the trot in a season.

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RCB won the toss and elected to field first against Delhi. The DC openers, Abishek Porel and Faf du Plessis, added 33 for the first wicket before losing two quick wickets inside the Powerplay. Seasoned campaigners KL Rahul and Faf tried stitching a useful stand but failed, with Pandya accounting for the Protean on 22 to dent DC’s run.

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Before KL Rahul could accelerate, his India teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed him on 41 off 39 balls; he later got rid of dangerous Ashutosh Sharma on just two. With Delhi’s back against the wall, Tristan Stubbs bailed the team out with a late blitz, hitting 34 off 18 balls, including six and five fours. His wicket was the last nail in the coffin, as RCB restricted DC to 162 for eight in 20 overs.

Kohli, Krunal show in Delhi

Opening with a new partner in Jacob Bethell, Kohli saw three wickets falling early inside the first six overs, with RCB’s scorecard reeling at 26 for three at one stage. 

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Kohli and Krunal then began the recovery work. The pair first completed a fifty-plus stand and then marched towards crossing the landmark of a 100-run partnership, putting RCB’s nose in front. While Kohli got out shortly after completing his fifty, with the visitors still in the chase, Krunal stood his ground and engineered the chase with Tim David as RCB won the game with six wickets and nine balls remaining.