Shepherd, Dayal orchestrate RCB's famous Chinnaswamy victory

Nearly 12 months after a memorable game at the Chinnaswamy that elevated the RCB-CSK rivalry to a new level, the 2025 fixture at the same venue boiled down to another Dhoni-v-Dayal contest with six balls to go. Under the pump, Dayal beat the veteran once again, survived a no-ball six from Shivam Dube and defended four off the last ball to give his team a win for the ages.

Before the match got down to those last six balls, Romario Shepherd got RCB to a position of strength in the first half and the young Ayush Mhatre did incredibly well to tear that down almost to the point of snatching a late victory. But that was not to be as RCB did the league double over CSK for the first time in the IPL.

Where the game was won

Right at the end in both innings. Shepherd's whirlwind knock meant RCB finished with about 30 more than the total they were headed towards. They then held their nerve with the ball through Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma and Dayal to deny CSK the points on offer.

The death-overs difference

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

PowerPlay: Kohli, Bethell take-off quickly

Phase score - 71/0 [RR: 11.83, 4s/6s: 8/5]

MS Dhoni expected a tacky pitch to bowl first on, but that didn't come through early on as Khaleel Ahmed got taken apart. He conceded three fours in his first over and three sixes in his second as Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli exploded from the start. The one time when Bethell mistimed a big hit in the early stages of the game, Matheesha Pathirana and Ravindra Jadeja collided while both going for the catch and spilled it. After some physio attention for the Sri Lankan and an eventual replacement on the field, Kohli resumed the carnage with a crisp back foot drive through covers. CSK's erratic bowling continued all through as Bethell dismantled Noor Ahmad in a 14-run over before Kohli capped off a stupendous PowerPlay by taking 11 off Anshul Kamboj.

Middle-overs: Kohli, Bethell fall after fiery fifties

Phase score - 73/2 [RR: 8.11, 4s/6s: 7/3]

Jadeja briefly pressed pause on the carnage with a two-run over in the seventh, but Sam Curran was then ripped into in the following over. Bethell welcomed him with a four and Kohli saw through the predictability of his slower ones and smashed him over deep mid-wicket. Jadeja got the ball to grip off the surface and kept the two free-spirited openers in check, and Pathirana then broke through - a wicket that belonged to Dewald Brewis who ran in from deep square leg and dived forward to take a catch just inches off the ground. Kohli responded to Bethell's exit - on 55 off 33 - by laying into Jadeja and ruining his figures with a 17-run over that took RCB past the 100-run mark in 11 overs. He however, perished against a slower bouncer from Curran, guiding it to Khaleel at short third after getting his seventh 50-plus score of the season. Noor then slipped in two good overs on either side of one from Curran worth 12 runs as RCB tried to keep up their scoring rate.

Death overs: Romario Shepherd slams 14-ball 53*

Phase score - 69/3 [RR: 13.80, 4s/6s: 5/6]

Shepherd poured ice cold water on all the progress CSK made in the first half of the death overs where it looked like they could restrict the home side to a total around 180. The West Indian's mind-boggling carnage led him to a 14-ball 53* - the joint second-fastest half-century in IPL history. Shepherd smashed six of the last 12 balls for sixes to power RCB to 213/5. Pathirana dismissed Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar while Noor took out Jitesh Sharma as RCB slumped from 144/2 in 15 overs to 159/5 in 18 overs. Then came 14 balls worth of butchery from Shepherd, starting with a 33-run penultimate over from Khaleel where the West Indian made room and sent the ball flying deep into the stands. Tim David smartly turned the strike over to Shepherd on the first ball of the last over, where he smashed two fours and two sixes. In a 57-run stand for the sixth wicket, David made a grand contribution of two runs as Shepherd violently snatched the momentum from CSK's grasp.

Chennai Super Kings

PowerPlay: Ayush Mhatre gets CSK going

Phase score - 58/2 [RR: 9.66, 4s/6s: 9/2]

Posting or chasing big scores has not been CSK's forte this season but their young openers showed they meant business on this night. Shaik Rasheed took the first initiative, pulling twice against Dayal for a six and a four in the third over. Mhatre's exceptional innings took off against the veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who got hit for five fours and a six in the fifth over by the 17-year-old. Krunal Pandya and Lungi Ngidi closed out the PowerPlay well, dismissing Rasheed and Sam Curran while conceding just nine runs.

Middle-overs: Mhatre-Jadeja keeps RCB on their toes

Phase score - 102/0 [RR: 11.34, 4s/6s: 8/5]

Krunal and Ngidi's intention to keep up their good start was met with resistance from the two batters as Mhatre got a top-edged six off the spinner and Jadeja collected a couple of fours off the fast bowler. Mhatre reached his 25-ball half-century off Suyash Sharma before giving Shepherd a taste of his own medicine in the 10th over - with two sixes and a four. It took CSK past the 100-run mark in 10 overs, keeping them on par with the tall requirement.

Dayal bowled one tight over but the two batters pounced on the rest in this phase to truly elevate the chase and put RCB under the pump. Suyash and Ngidi went for runs and even Bhuvneshwar's return for his third did not change the course of the chase as Mhatre sullied yet another over from the senior pro with a six. In the same over, Jadeja got to a 29-ball half-century as CSK headed into the death overs needing 54 off 30 balls.

Death overs: Dayal does it again

Phase score - 51/3 [RR: 10.20, 4s/6s: 2/3]

Ngidi added drama to the tense proceedings. After Patidar dropped Mhatre off Dayal, Ngidi put down a sitter at third man to give Jadeja a reprieve in the 16th over. But the South African earned instant redemption in the 17th over, when a slower one ended Mhatre's exceptional essay on a 48-ball 94. On the next ball, Ngidi had an LBW appeal against Dewald Brevis given in his favour to dent CSK further. To make matters worse for the chasing side, Brevis ran out of time to use DRS and the replays showed that the original decision would've been overturned on review.

In an eerie coincidence, a six out of the ground - from Jadeja - resulted in change of ball that aided RCB like it did last year. With a dry ball, Suyash bowled a frugal over to Jadeja and MS Dhoni, worth just six runs, leaving the senior pair to get 29 off 12. That equation was brought down to 15 off 6 as Jadeja got a four and Dhoni smashed a six off Bhuvneshwar in the 19th over. The pressure was evident on the field as even Kohli missed a sitter to dismiss Jadeja. The pendulum of momentum swung wildly within the final over as Dayal dismissed Dhoni but also conceded a six off a waist-high no-ball to Shivam Dube, leaving CSK to get 6 off 3. Dayal then steadied himself to deliver three very good full length balls that the CSK batters couldn't put away.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 213/5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 62, Jacob Bethell 55, Romario Shepherd 53*; Matheesha Pathirana 3-36) beat Chennai Super Kings 211/5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 94, Ravindra Jadeja 77; Lungi Ngidi 3-30) by 2 runs.

What next?

RCB head to Lucknow to take on LSG on May 9. CSK go west to Kolkata face defending champions and top-four aspirants KKR on May 7.