RCB vs CSK Match 52 Results

6:55 PM IST Royal Challengers Bengaluru's ROMARIO SHEPHERD has been adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his blistering unbeaten 14-ball 53. Smiles on receiving the award and says that he was waiting for his opportunity for a long time and made use of it. Details that he was only trying to give the team a good finish. On the secret of the power he generates, Shepherd replies that the way he swings, just looks at the pace of the ball and shoots, maybe it comes out well. On his practice in the nets, Romario credits RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik for taking the players in the nets and giving them some specific words and they paid off. On his thought process in the last 2 overs, RS says that he was just thinking to play ball by ball and just swung hard. Details that he tried to stay relaxed and tried to hit the ball from the middle of the bat. On his preference to bat or bowl, Romario Shepherd says he is 50-50. Sheepishly says that in this game, it came out really well with the bat but he had a bad day with the ball. Credits Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Lungi Ngidi for pulling RCB out of trouble.

6:50 PM IST RAJAT PATIDAR, the captain of RCB, smiles and says that his heart rate is good now. Appreciates CSK batters but says the way their bowlers showed courage in the last overs was tremendous. On giving the ball to Yash Dayal in the last over, he says he is the main bowler of the side and is a death-over specialist. Highlights that he did the same thing for them last year as well and did it again this time around as well. On giving the ball to Suyash Sharma in the 18th over, he reflects that he had confidence on Suyash as till now, he has bowled well. Admits that it was a 50-50 decision but he backed his bowler and is happy to see him deliver. On Romario Shepherd's batting in the last overs, he says it is not easy to go in and hit big sixes right away. Says he just enjoyed his long sixes from the dugout. Then reflects on Lungi Ngidi's bowling by saying that he is an experienced bowler and has bowled a lot with the white ball. Says he had faith in him. On getting 16 points, he delightfully says that it is a positive thing to be at the top. Also says they are not aiming for qualification but aiming to do well in the remaining games.

6:48 PM IST The mentor and batting coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, DINESH KARTHIK, is up for a chat now. On being asked about the feelings in the RCB dugout during the last over of the chase, Karthik honestly says that the last few deliveries took a humongous effort to stop CSK scoring and praises Yash Dayal for doing really well and adds that these things really uplift the mood in the camp. On the chat during the second Strategic timeout when RCB were batting, Dinesh says that they had a few good batters - Jitesh Sharma, Tim David and Romario Shepherd - so they wanted to maximize their potential but admits that it was hard to start on. So, he adviced the batters take it easy on the first couple of balls but once you get set, hit strong shots. On Dayal, DK calls him one with a strong ethic - someone who works really hard in practice and in terms of effort, ranking him right up there with the greats. Agrees that the execution might go up and down but details that one of the reasons RCB retained him was because of the way he won games for them in the last year, reflecting on that win against CSK in Bengaluru in 2024 at this same venue. On Suyash Sharma, Dinesh Karthik says that Suyash likes to deliver under pressure. Adds that Suyash may not be in the list of the top spinners in the country but he is a great bowler and someone who could be a great asset to the Indian spin department. Details that because of his efforts, Krunal Pandya has been able to bowl well this season.

6:39 PM IST A mixed bowling performance by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They could not do well with the new ball with only Krunal Pandya doing well. With dew coming in, all the bowlers went for a tour around the park. At the end of the 16th over, the touring side needed 43 from 24 balls, with 8 wickets in hand. However, that 17th over by Ngidi, which saw 2 wickets in 2 balls turned things around, which rubber-stamps the statement that it is not over till the final ball is bowled. Ngidi ended up with 3 wickets but don't forget the 18th over by Suyash Sharma, which went for just 6 runs and the excellent comeback by Yash Dayal on the last 3 legal balls.

6:37 PM IST Like a proper Southern Derby, this game swung like a pendulum. Remember, RCB were 159/5 after 18 overs. They hammered 54 in the last 2 overs. CSK, in reply, were going great guns through the stand between Ayush Mhatre and Ravindra Jadeja. But the home side came back, despite DROPPING 4 CATCHES! One felt that the 16th over killed the home side's chances, with both, Mhatre and Jadeja dropped in the span of 4 balls. But the 17th over saw two back-to-back wickets by Lungi Ngidi and the game swung again. RCB were choking the visitors but that no ball by Yash Dayal in the final over seemed to indicate that the cat might have jumped out of the bag. But the 'never say never' attitude enabled the southpaw to come back.

6:30 PM IST Double-header Sunday coming up! 4th May, 2025 sees double the IPL action. In the afternoon game, Kolkata Knight Riders take on Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens, in the former's quest to stay alive in the tournament. In the evening game, Punjab Kings face Lucknow Super Giants as Dharamsala makes its debut this season. The first ball will be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (1000 GMT) but our build-up will begin well in advance. Do join us early then. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!