Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Wreck Delhi Capitals for 75 as RCB Dominate IPL Clash

New Delhi, April 2026 : A sensational new-ball spell from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding position as they bowled out Delhi Capitals for a paltry 75 in Match 39 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.

In what turned out to be one of the most destructive powerplay performances in IPL history, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar combined to claim six wickets within the first four overs, leaving Delhi reeling at an unimaginable 9 for 6. Their relentless accuracy, aided by seam movement and bounce, proved too much for the hosts, whose batting line-up crumbled under pressure.

The carnage began early when Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed debutant Sahil Parakh with a brilliant inswinging yorker after nearly inducing a false shot the ball before. The dismissal opened the floodgates, and Hazlewood soon joined the party with back-to-back strikes. A sharp short ball forced KL Rahul into a mistimed pull, while another delivery lured debutant Sameer Rizvi into edging behind to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.

Though Tristan Stubbs briefly countered with a boundary, Bhuvneshwar struck again, drawing an outside edge that was safely caught in the slips. Delhi skipper Axar Patel followed soon after, edging another swinging delivery to the keeper. Hazlewood then compounded Delhi’s misery by removing Nitish Rana with a rising delivery that resulted in a glove-edge being caught in the cordon.

By the end of the fourth over, Delhi were in complete disarray at 9/6, a collapse that stunned the home crowd. The duo also created history by becoming the first pair in IPL history to take three wickets each inside the powerplay in the same match. At the end of six overs, Delhi’s score of 13/6 set a new record for the lowest powerplay total in IPL history.

Amid the ruins, Abishek Porel emerged as the lone bright spot for Delhi. The young batter showed resilience, scoring 30 off 33 balls and attempting to stabilise the innings. He found brief support from David Miller, and the duo added 35 runs for the seventh wicket to offer a glimmer of hope.

However, the resistance was short-lived. Rasikh Salam Dar broke the partnership by dismissing Miller, who mistimed a pull shot. Soon after, Kyle Jamieson injected some momentum into the innings with a powerful six, helping Delhi cross the 50-run mark and avoid the embarrassment of the lowest total in IPL history.

But RCB’s bowlers maintained complete control. Krunal Pandya trapped Jamieson lbw with a delivery that straightened off the pitch, while Suyash Sharma bowled Kuldeep Yadav with a sharp leg-break. Hazlewood then fittingly wrapped up the innings by clean bowling Porel with a pinpoint yorker, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 12. Bhuvneshwar complemented him brilliantly with 3 for 5.

Delhi Capitals were eventually bowled out for 75 in 16.3 overs, with none of their batters, apart from Porel, able to make any meaningful contribution.

With such a modest target to chase, the contest heavily tilted in favour of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, whose bowlers delivered a clinical performance that will be remembered as one of the most dominant displays in IPL history. The focus now shifts to how quickly RCB can chase down the target and secure a comprehensive victory.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 75 all out in 16.3 overs (Abishek Porel 30, David Miller 19; Josh Hazlewood 4-12, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-5) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru