RCB Tops IPL 2025 Standings with Nail-Biting Victory Over CSK

RCB Secures Thrilling Win Against CSK

In a gripping encounter, Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched the top spot in the IPL 2025 points table by defeating Chennai Super Kings by a mere two runs. Yash Dayal emerged as the hero in the final over, successfully defending 14 runs despite challenging dew conditions.

Dinesh Karthik, RCB's batting coach, expressed his admiration for the young left-arm pacer. Dayal bowled the decisive over, taking the wicket of MS Dhoni and limiting CSK to 211 runs in their pursuit of 214. Karthik highlighted Dayal's composure under pressure as a key factor in the match.

“It’ll take a humongous effort to stop them scoring the runs that were left in the last over. But Yash being Yash, the way he delivered, it was outstanding. I think it was a very good team effort. Sometimes these kinds of games really uplift the mood and we’re very happy with how it transpired today,”

With eight victories out of eleven matches, RCB is inching closer to a playoff spot in IPL 2025. Yash Dayal, who previously faced criticism after conceding 32 runs in a single over against Rinku Singh, has made a remarkable turnaround. He has successfully defended targets in the final over of five IPL matches since then.

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Karthik Praises Dayal's Preparation and Mindset

Karthik emphasized that Dayal's dedication and focus contribute significantly to his value as a player. Despite his youth, the pacer has garnered respect from the RCB management for his maturity and discipline.

“He’s right up there with some of the best that are there in India. The one thing that you see with the young crop of cricketers is how much they work hard at their cricket behind the scenes. Yash is again someone who’s very diligent. He comes to bowling meetings with a paper, writes down everything and is very sure about what he wants to do,” Karthik remarked.

Karthik also shared insights into why RCB chose to retain Dayal ahead of IPL 2025, highlighting the long-term potential they see in him.

“Yes, the execution could be up and down at times. But one thing you’ll never get less of is his effort. He always bowls to a plan, and when he lands his yorkers, he feels so good about himself. That’s one of the reasons we retained him—he’s got a special skill and can handle pressure well. Same game, one year ago, he did it for us. And yet again today, he did a nice job for us,” Karthik explained.

RCB's next challenge will be against LSG in Lucknow on May 9, followed by matches against SRH and KKR on May 13 and 17, respectively.