RCB vs DC: One Mistake, Big Blunder Fully Exposed

Delhi Capitals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 5 wickets in Match 26 of IPL 2026 in Bengaluru.

It was a strong result for Delhi as they moved into the top 4 with 6 points, while RCB stayed second with 8 points but lost their winning momentum.

DC won the toss and decided to bowl first. RCB started well with bat. After 13 overs, they were 132 for 3 and looked set for a total close to 200.

But the innings slowed down badly in the last overs. Too many dot balls and no proper finishing hurt them.

Phil Salt was the only batter who looked comfortable, scoring 63 off 38 balls. Apart from him, no one crossed 30. Virat Kohli made 19, Devdutt Padikkal scored 18 and Tim David added 26, but no one could carry the innings forward.

The main talking point from the innings was Jitesh Sharma. He scored 14 runs off 20 balls, which was too slow for this format.

There was no intent at a time when RCB needed to accelerate, the scoring stopped. From a position where they could have reached 200, they ended at 175. In T20 cricket, one slow innings can affect the whole total, and that is exactly what happened here.

RCB also made mistakes in the later part of the game. In bowling, Suyash did not make an impact, and in the final over, Romario Shepherd could not defend 15 runs. From a strong position, RCB lost control of the match.

Delhi bowlers did their job well. They kept things tight and used the slowdown in the middle overs. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi picked up two wickets each.

In the chase, Delhi did lose early wickets as Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked three quick ones, but KL Rahul handled the situation calmly. He scored 57 off 34 balls and held the innings together.

Tristan Stubbs then took control and stayed till the end with an unbeaten 60. Axar Patel added 26 before retiring injured, and David Miller finished the match with a quick 20 off 10 balls.

RCB now have to think about their combination. Phil Salt is already a keeper, they have options and can try different players instead of Jitesh Sharma in the next matches, like Jacob or Iyer.

RCB had the match in their hands but lost it due to a slow middle phase and poor finishing, and in the last over they could not defend 15 runs which summed up their overall performance.