Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) weren’t donned in their green jersey, but Virat Kohli and Co ensured that they did their bit for the environment. In their humbling defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals, RCB struggled to get going, playing a massive 55 dot balls in their innings. Thanks to BCCI’s new initiative, that slow down would mean 27,500 more trees planted.
RCB’s epic slow down
RCB got off to a blazing start after being put into bat by Axar Patel at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The hosts got off to a flyer with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli striking boundaries at ease. RCB in fact raced to the fastest team 50 of IPL 2025, getting there in just 3 overs. However, the run out of Phil Salt changed the momentum and the 2016 IPL finalists entered a period of slow down.
Delhi Capitals’ bowlers stuck to their plans, with the pitch offering some turn and variable bounce. Mukesh Kumar bowled a wicket maiden, while both Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam chipped in with regular wickets. The duo combined for 8 overs to pick four wickets, conceding just 35. They bowled 23 dots in total, with Mukesh adding 10 more to the overall tally.
It was only Tim David’s late assault that got RCB past 150. Overall, they played a massive 55 dots, comprising a little over 9 overs. In comparison, DC played just 32, eventually proving to be the point of difference. RCB’s 55 dots is no record by any stretch, but it is the most this season. Since the impact player rule was introduced, only twice have a team played more dots than RCB’s 55 on Thursday.
Most dots by a team (since 2024)
| Team | Dots | Result |
|---|---|---|
| GT | 59 | DC won by 6 wickets |
| MI | 58 | RR won by 6 wickets |
| KKR | 55 | CSK won by 7 wickets |
| RCB | 55 | DC won by 6 wickets |
