Play Bowled: RCB reduce DC to lowest IPL powerplay score

NEW DELHI: While it might just have been a slogan for the longest time, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are really playing bold, reducing Delhi Capitals to just 13/6 in the powerplay phase on Monday.

In a tournament that has largely been dominated by batters, Monday saw a new light – as the RCB new-ball bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – knocked over the Capitals’ batting unit like ninepins.

It wasn’t any funky batting that led to their downfall but just pure Test style bowling, with the Uttar Pradesh-born pacer turning the opposition inside out. The 36-year-old showed why RCB rated him that highly, with a brilliant in-swinger to remove the debutant, Sahil Parakh, for a two-ball duck. The fun wasn’t done yet, as Hazlewood accounted for both KL Rahul (1) and Sameer Rizvi in consecutive deliveries.

Just when Tristan Stubbs started counter-attacking, Bhuvneshwar sprung back to remove both Stubbs and Axar Patel, leaving the Capitals destroyed, at 7/5. Hazlewood continued his impressive run, accounting for Nitish Rana as well with the Capitals staring at an all-time low – the lowest total in IPL history.

DC’s 13/6 was only the second instance in IPL history for a team to lose six wickets inside the powerplay. On that occasion, chasing 129/7, Kochi Tuskers Kerala found themselves in a similar situation, as the side in Orange lost six wickets in four overs, with just 11 runs on board.

Lowest score at the fall of fifth wicket in IPL

6 – Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Deccan Chargers, Kochi, 2011
7 – Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, New Delhi, 2026*
9 – Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 2026

Lowest powerplay scores in IPL history

13/6 – DC vs RCB, New Delhi, 2026*
14/2 – RR vs RCB, Cape Town, 2009
14/3 – SRH vs RR, Pune, 2022
15/2 – CSK vs KKR, Kolkata, 2011