A bowling masterclass in the Capital to conquering another El Clasico: RCB’s top moments in IPL 2026 so far

With the Indian Premier League 2026 season entering its second half, the Royal Challengers have already created a month of incredible memories. With six wins from nine games and an NRR of +1.420, RCB sit in the second position of the points table currently. Ahead of RCB’s following game against LSG in Lucknow, here is a glance at the Challengers' top five moments in the tournament so far.

·      RCB bundling out the Capitals for just 75

In an iteration that has seen the best of bowlers being tossed around like ragdolls, RCB dished out an absolute bowling masterclass against DC. Delhi Capitals were coming in on the back of a game where they posted a staggering 264 with the bat. While the expectations were sky high of a potential runfest to follow suit, the pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood cannoned through the DC top-order.

RCB reduced the Capitals to 9/6, sparking fears of a possible record in the making. However, a solid show from an incoming Abhishek Porel who was brought on as the Impact Player helped DC to get past the initial jitters but that wasn’t enough for RCB to leave them reeling in a bottomless pit of despair. Bhuvneshwar Kumar concluded with numbers of 3/5 from three overs while Josh Hazlewood registered figures of 4/12 from 3.3 overs. To add to it, Suyash Sharma’s miserly spell left Delhi in a heap of woes they would like to forget.

·      RCB tot up 250 against CSK

The heat of IPL’s El Clasico has been one of those elements that fans have loved to soak in. After being drubbed twice last season, CSK were hoping to turn things around. Put to bat, RCB threw a spanner in their plans in no time at all. Phil Salt commandeered the early charge before the gears kept on shifting. Devdutt Padikkal slammed 50 from just 29 balls before Rajat Patidar went all guns blazing.

The RCB captain smoked 48 off 19 and stayed unbeaten while his partner at the other end, the explosive Tim David left Chennai wincing in agony. A 25-ball-70 from David that saw three fours and eight sixes, took RCB to 250, which has been their highest score of the ongoing iteration of the tournament. Despite a handful of instrumental cameos for CSK, RCB was always in control and walked away with the bragging rights without breaking a sweat.

·      Phil Salt's blinder to remove Ishan Kishan against SRH

Catches win you matches. There has never been an exception. And Phil Salt loves to take catches and win matches. In the curtain-raiser of IPL 2026, RCB were up against SRH in what was the first chapter of the Southern Derby. Ishan Kishan looked in cruise control, batting at 80 from just 37 balls. It went without saying that he could single-handedly rewrite the fate of the game after Jacob Duffy worked out the early inroads.

Comes into the picture, Abhinandan Singh. Going for a wide yorker, he completely missed his mark and the ball was a full-toss, an invitation for Ishan Kishan to chop it into half. Ishan went down on a knee, got underneath the ball and aerially struck it away from Salt. Salty started running from the position of a deep cover-point to an area close enough to that of a deep backward point. No one thought that it was possible but Salt is more than just a human. He is a giant and that towering leap of his made him fly and that was more than enough for him to possibly script one of the finest catches of the season, sending Ishan Kishan packing.

·      RCB chase 202 in less than 16 overs against SRH

Talk about starting the season with a bang, especially when you have wo the tournament last year and RCB had all intentions of putting up a show. With SRH piling up 201/9 from their 20 overs, the expectations were that it could be a nail-biting clash. The expectations found flight when Phil Salt fell for a meagre eight. But that is when the narrative flipped.

Devdutt Padikkal walked in and started ruthlessly dispatching the ball to the fence. His brilliant knock of 61 from just 26 balls set the precedent right and Virat Kohli was more than happy to play anchor initially before he would get the big guns out. Rajat Patidar walked in after the fall of Padikkal and continued in the same vein of belligerence, hammering 31 off just 12 balls, bringing RCB close enough to the finish line. Kohli and Tim David were unbeaten to take them across the finish line within just 15.4 overs, crafting a win and a statement alike.

·      RCB rock four totals north of 200 in their first four IPL games

RCB’s batting masterclass in the season has been worth noting. The first four games of the season that saw them racking up three wins also witnessed them pummelling scores more than 200, a testimonial to their batting depth. It all started with RCB chasing down 201 against SRH in the season opener in just 16 overs.

This was followed by an overwhelming show of power-hitting dominance where RCB piled up 250 on the board against their arch-rivals. Tim David took the meaning of power-hitting to a different dimension. Against Rajasthan Royals, despite being reduced to 125/7, RCB managed to smash 201 which was no mean feat to achieve. This was followed by another incredible glimpse of mad striking of the cricket ball against Mumbai Indians, smashing 240. The fact that four consecutive games saw RCB hammer 200-plus was also a giveaway that no matter the situation, RCB isn’t going to sit back and watch.