As Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first home game of the IPL 2025 season at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday night, Virat Kohli wore his heart on his sleeve, and that love manifested in unbridled emotion. The possibilities of an RCB comeback were minimal since the Rajasthan Royals required 18 runs off the final two overs. But Kohli, who was stationed close to the boundary rope, roared, pounded his fists, and ran into the dugout to embrace all of his teammates in sight after Josh Hazlewood's amazing performance with the ball, which saw him take two wickets and allow just one run in the over, shifted the game in RCB's favor.

The boiling intensity of the match, which alternated between the two teams throughout, was reflected in Kohli's celebrations, which were initially sparked by the wicket of Jofra Archer in the penultimate over and then again by the fall of Wanindu Hasaranga in the 20th. The 11-run loss all but dashed the Royals' aspirations of a playoff spot, as it was their seventh defeat in nine games.

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Earlier,Following a shaky start, Kohli the batsman brought RCB's innings back on course. He developed into his smooth best, scoring a strong 70 off 42 balls — his fifth fifty overall and his first at home this season — despite a few early streaky boundaries. On a pitch that was somewhat slow, Kohli constructed a 95-run partnership for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a quick 50 off 27, boosting RCB to a formidable 205.

Jitesh Sharma and Tim David, whose calculated aggression ensured the home side crossed the 200-mark, provided RCB's late flourish.

Yashasvi Jaiswal hammered 49 off only 19 balls as Rajasthan Royals got off to a roaring start in their pursuit of 206. Hazlewood was ripped apart by his five boundaries and a six, but the Australian pacer had the final say, limiting Jaiswal's space and causing him to make a mistake in the middle of the wicket.

With two sixes, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old impact player for RR, put on a show for a little while before Bhuvneshwar Kumar's knuckle ball put an end to his cameo. The RCB bowling attack, spearheaded by Hazlewood's 4/33, turned the tide as Dhruv Jurel (47) put up a valiant fight. With six victories out of nine games, RCB have moved up the standings to third place, above the Mumbai Indians. They will now face Delhi Capitals in an away game on Sunday. RCB has won all four of their away games thus far and is still undefeated on the road this year.

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