Put in to bat first, Delhi Capitals faced early setbacks with the quick dismissals of Abishek Porel and Karun Nair, putting pressure on their middle order. However, Tristan Stubbs stepped up with a brisk 34 off just 18 balls, injecting momentum into the innings and helping DC reach a respectable total of 162/8. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Stubbs’ cameo ensured they had something to bowl at on a pitch that wasn’t entirely batter-friendly.
RCB’s chase got off to a nightmare start as their top order crumbled in the powerplay. Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal fell cheaply, while Rajat Patidar was run out following a poor judgment call by Virat Kohli. The run-out, which involved hesitation and confusion, became a talking point as it removed RCB’s captain at a crucial juncture. This further dented RCB’s hopes and added to the mounting pressure.
In the middle of this high-stakes contest, tensions flared when Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had a heated moment on the field. Kohli was seen exchanging words with Rahul after taking a single, and Rahul’s reaction didn’t sit well with him. Kohli, visibly irritated, walked back to his stance but not before the tension between the two became apparent to everyone watching.
The tension didn’t end there. Kohli was later caught having another animated exchange with the DC wicketkeeper, seemingly talking in gibberish or mock frustration, which added a dramatic layer to the already intense match. The atmosphere grew more charged, fueled by their body language and lingering competitive edge.
Heated convo b/w kohli and rahul pic.twitter.com/8lYSuWejAh
— . (@cricloverPrayas) April 27, 2025
This on-field drama was further amplified by the history between the two sides—especially a previous encounter where KL Rahul, after guiding Delhi to a win at Chinnaswamy Stadium with a 93-run masterclass, had gestured to the crowd as if to declare the ground his own.
Kohli Rahul lafda🤣😭 pic.twitter.com/Ezri9T7UpV
— lords83 (@rohitsupreme45) April 27, 2025
Now, with Kohli playing at his home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium, fans on Twitter couldn’t resist drawing parallels and reacting to the ongoing rivalry between the two Indian stars.