Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It turned into a nightmare evening for Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacers produced a ruthless display to dismantle the hosts’ batting line-up on Monday. Asked to bat first by RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, DC’s innings unraveled in dramatic fashion right from the outset.Debutant Sahil Parakh endured a forgettable start, bowled for a two-ball duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in just the second ball of the innings. What followed was complete carnage as Josh Hazlewood struck twice in two balls, dismissing KL Rahul and Sameer Rizvi to leave DC reeling early.Live Score: DC vs RCB, IPL 2026Record-breaking low: 8/6 stuns IPL historyThe slide only worsened as Bhuvneshwar continued his dream spell, removing Tristan Stubbs and skipper Axar Patel in the same over. Hazlewood then returned to dismiss Nitish Rana, reducing DC to a shocking 8 for 6 inside four overs.This marked the lowest-ever total at the fall of the sixth wicket in IPL history, surpassing the previous record of 11 for 6 by Kochi Tuskers Kerala against Deccan Chargers in 2011 — coincidentally on the same date, April 27. The unwanted list also includes Delhi Daredevils’ 24 for 6 (2017), RCB’s 28 for 6 (2014), and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 29 for 6 (2013).Early blitz leaves DC shell-shockedThe collapse was triggered by relentless seam bowling. Bhuvneshwar’s inswinging yorker to Parakh set the tone, while Hazlewood’s disciplined channel bowling exposed the batters’ fragility. The Indian and Australian quicks exploited movement and pressure, forcing errors from a rattled DC line-up. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma and slip fielder Devdutt Padikkal played their parts with sharp catches as RCB tightened their grip.Patidar’s decision to bowl first was influenced by the venue’s high-scoring nature and better batting conditions under lights. “We will try to put them under pressure,” he had said at the toss — a plan executed to perfection.DC captain Axar admitted post-match that his side would have preferred to chase, citing improving pitch conditions. But by then, the damage had long been done, with RCB’s pacers delivering one of the most devastating new-ball spells in IPL history.
