Bangalore, April 5 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar's impressive spell of 3-41, following a dominant batting performance from Tim David, Rajat Patidar, and Devdutt Padikkal, propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a commanding 43-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
The match saw RCB's batting unit dismantle CSK's attack with relentless hitting. David's unbeaten 70 off 25 balls and Patidar's unbeaten 48 off 19 balls provided late fireworks after Padikkal's fluent 50 off 29 balls had set the tone for the daunting total.
Their combined effort lifted RCB to a formidable 250/3, setting a new record for the highest total in IPL 2026. In reply, CSK struggled under pressure, with Sarfaraz Khan's 50 off 24 balls and Prashant Veer's 43 being the only resistance amid a string of failures from the top order.
Bhuvneshwar was at his best, and he also crossed the 200-wicket mark in IPL, with others also contributing as CSK were bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs. The comprehensive win also meant that RCB had achieved their first-ever four consecutive victories over CSK in the IPL.
CSK's chase began poorly as Jacob Duffy dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Bhuvneshwar claimed his 200th IPL wicket by dismissing Ayush Mhatre cheaply. After Duffy dismissed Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz countered with boundaries and sixes off Duffy, Bhuvneshwar, and Abhinandan Singh, reaching a half-century off 24 balls.
However, his dismissal to Krunal Pandya, who also dismissed Kartik Sharma, in the seventh over left CSK at 84/5. After Shivam Dube's vigil was cut short by Abhinandan, Veer and Jamie Overton joined forces for a spirited 57-run stand. Veer scored 43 off 29 balls, while Overton scored 37 off 16, but both were dismissed by Bhuvneshwar and Suyash Sharma, respectively. Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj hit a few boundaries, but Bhuvneshwar and Abhinandan dismissed them, sealing a great victory for RCB.
Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 250/3 in 20 overs (Tim David 70 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 50; Shivam Dube 1-30, Jamie Overton 1-42) beat Chennai Super Kings 207 in 19.4 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 50, Prashant Veer 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-41, Abhinandan Singh 2-30) by 43 runs.