Bengaluru, April 5 (IANS) Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s incisive spell of 3-41, coming after a marauding batting show from Tim David, Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal, propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a commanding 43-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

The contest saw RCB’s batting unit dismantle CSK’s attack with relentless hitting, as David’s 70 not out off just 25 balls and Patidar’s unbeaten 48 off only 19 balls provided for the late fireworks after Padikkal’s fluent 50 off 29 balls had set the tone for the daunting total.

Their combined effort lifted RCB to a daunting 250/3, thus setting a new record for highest total in IPL 2026. In reply, CSK faltered under scoreboard pressure, with Sarfaraz Khan’s 50 off 24 balls and Prashant Veer’s 43 the lone acts of resistance amid a string of failures from the top order.

Bhuvneshwar was at his disciplined best and even crossed the 200-mark in terms of wickets in IPL, with others also chipping in as CSK were bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs. The comprehensive win also meant RCB have registered four consecutive triumphs over CSK for the first time in the IPL’s history.

CSK’s chase began on a shaky note as Jacob Duffy removed Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Bhuvneshwar claimed his 200th IPL wicket by taking out Ayush Mhatre cheaply. After Duffy dismissed Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz counter-attacked with a flurry of boundaries and sixes off Duffy, Bhuvneshwar and Abhinandan Singh to race to a half-century off just 24 balls.

But his dismissal to Krunal Pandya, who also dismissed Kartik Sharma, in the seventh over left CSK tottering at 84/5. After Shivam Dube’s vigil was cut short by Abhinandan, Veer and Jamie Overton joined forces for a spirited 57-run stand. Veer struck 43 off 29 balls, while Overton smashed 37 off 16, but both perished to Bhuvneshwar and Suyash Sharma respectively. Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj struck a few boundaries, but Bhuvneshwar and Abhinandan took them out to seal a great win for RCB.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 250/3 in 20 overs (Tim David 70 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 50; Shivam Dube 1-30, Jamie Overton 1-42) beat Chennai Super Kings 207 in 19.4 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 50, Prashant Veer 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-41, Abhinandan Singh 2-30) by 43 runs

–IANS

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