On Sunday, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, thanks to Tim David’s stormy unbeaten innings of 70 runs played in just 25 balls, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scored a huge score of 250/3 and won by 43 runs over Chennai Super Kings (CSK). While many expected the influence of Virat Kohli, David said that batting coach Dinesh Karthik played a vital role in preparing him for the difficult conditions of the ground.
At the post-match presentation, David said: “I don’t make much changes to my game, but whatever preparation I have done gives me confidence. It’s great to work with DK (Dinesh Karthik). He has a lot of experience playing in these conditions. I have been playing in the IPL for the last few years, and after this kind of preparation, you don’t put pressure on yourself to perform.”
David came to bat in the middle overs and wreaked havoc in the last overs (death phase); He hit 8 sixes and 3 fours at a strike rate of 280+. He scored 68 runs in the death overs (17-20) — the most by any batsman in a single innings in the IPL. Together with captain Rajat Patidar (48* off 19 balls), they stitched an unbroken partnership of 99 runs off just 35 balls, of which 97 runs came in the last five overs. Earlier, Devdutt Padikkal played a brilliant inning of 50 runs off 29 balls and Phil Salt contributed 46 runs, while Virat Kohli scored 28 runs.
RCB’s total of 250/3 is the highest score in IPL 2026 so far, and also the highest ever scored against CSK in this league.
In reply, CSK was all out for 207 runs in 19.4 overs. Sarfaraz Khan fought back with a quickfire 50 off 25 balls, and Prashant Veer added 43, but after the early setbacks the team never recovered in the chase. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3/41 for RCB. David was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’.
Patidar praised David as “one of the best finishers I have ever seen”, while Padikkal showed his sportsmanship and said he “doesn’t regret” his dismissal as it allowed David and Patidar to play freely. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, taking responsibility for the third consecutive defeat, said that the team’s momentum deteriorated after 13-14 overs.
This innings of David, played on the basis of excellent preparation done under the supervision of Karthik, highlighted the aggressive attitude of RCB under the captaincy of Patidar and further strengthened their top position in the points table.
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