RCB rue sticky Chinnaswamy surface after narrow defeat, refuse to hit panic button

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have blamed a tacky M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch for their narrow defeat to Delhi Capitals, but the franchise has made it clear there will be no panic or overreaction after their first home loss of IPL 2026.

RCB fell short on April 18 after posting 175/8, a total that appeared below par by Chinnaswamy standards. Yet, despite the modest score, Bengaluru dragged the contest into the final over before Delhi sealed victory with one ball to spare through the finishing power of David Miller and Tristan Stubbs.

Director of cricket Mo Bobat said the side would assess the performance honestly, but insisted one defeat would not derail a batting unit that has impressed throughout the tournament.

“We probably were not as fluent as we normally are. We have been a strong batting unit so far, so I would not overanalyze that too much,” Bobat said after the match.

“We will review honestly like we always do. We will look at what we did well and what we need to improve. We have batted very well in this competition, so we will learn from this game and try to get back into our rhythm in the next one.”

Bright start fades after mid-innings collapse

RCB’s innings began with authority as Phil Salt launched an early assault, while Virat Kohli helped provide momentum in the powerplay. Bengaluru were cruising at 99/2 after 10 overs and looked set for a total well beyond 200.

But the innings lost shape dramatically in the second half.

Delhi’s bowling attack, led by Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav, tightened the screws brilliantly. Wickets fell in clusters, boundaries dried up, and RCB managed only 76 runs in the final 10 overs while losing six wickets.

Bobat admitted the surface played differently than expected and Bengaluru failed to adapt quickly enough.

Captain Rajat Patidar echoed that view, saying the team left crucial runs behind.

“I feel we were 15-20 runs short. The way VK bhai and Salt started gave us a very good platform, but after that we lost wickets in a couple of overs and it pushed us on the back foot,” Patidar said.

“In the first innings, the pitch was a bit tacky.”

Bowlers nearly pull off dramatic heist

Even with an underwhelming total, RCB’s bowlers nearly engineered a remarkable comeback.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the charge with a superb spell of 3 wickets for 26 runs in four overs, while Josh Hazlewood also applied pressure as Delhi stumbled in the chase.

In a bold tactical move, RCB used both senior pacers early in the death overs to force Delhi into discomfort. That decision, however, left all-rounder Romario Shepherd to defend 15 runs in the final over against two established international finishers.

Shepherd began impressively, conceding only two singles from the first two deliveries and briefly swinging momentum back toward the hosts.

But Miller and Stubbs responded ruthlessly, smashing two sixes and a four off the next three balls to silence the Bengaluru crowd.

Bobat explains final-over gamble

Bobat said the team had little option but to trust its match-winners earlier and take the game as deep as possible.

“There comes a point where you feel you are behind in the game. To get back into it, you have to use your champion bowlers,” he said.

“We felt we had to bowl Hazlewood and Bhuvi when we did to make it as difficult as possible later in the chase.

“That obviously involves risk. It was a tough ask for Romario to bowl the final over against two international finishers, but we had to take the game as deep as possible.”

Long tournament, quick reset

Despite the disappointment, Patidar chose to focus on the positives, particularly the team’s fight until the final delivery.

“The way we stretched the game into the last over is a positive sign for us,” he said.

“It is a long tournament. We will go back, introspect where we made mistakes and rectify them.”

RCB now have close to a week to regroup before returning to Chinnaswamy Stadium for their next clash against Gujarat Titans on April 24, where they will look to turn frustration into response.