200 Wickets, 25-Ball 70 and a Record Total: RCB's Night to Remember at Chinnaswamy

In a night where RCB posted their highest-ever score against Chennai Super Kings and Tim David reduced Chinnaswamy Stadium to rubble with a 25-ball 70, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who gave the home crowd their most cherished moment — becoming the first pace bowler in IPL history to take 200 wickets.

The Milestone That Changed History

The landmark came early in the CSK chase. Ayush Mhatre was the batter — a youngster who had no idea he was about to be written into the history books from the wrong end. Bhuvneshwar produced a hard-length delivery outside off stump that reared sharply, cramping Mhatre for room as he attempted a pull shot. The ball looped off the top edge towards mid-off, where captain Rajat Patidar completed a simple catch.

Two hundred IPL wickets. In 192 matches. At an average of 27.25.

Bhuvneshwar is only the second bowler in IPL history to join this club. The first was leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who leads the overall wicket-taking charts with 224 wickets in 176 matches at an average of 22.68. The names who never got there are telling enough of how exclusive this achievement is — neither Jasprit Bumrah (183 wickets), nor Lasith Malinga (170), nor Dwayne Bravo (183) reached the number that Bhuvneshwar has now passed.

The Numbers That Make It Special

Bhuvneshwar also leads all bowlers in IPL powerplay wickets, having taken 71 wickets in overs one to six across his career — more than any other bowler in the competition’s history. Across 145 matches for SunRisers Hyderabad, he claimed 157 wickets at an average of 26.81, before moving to RCB.

Now 36, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has reinvented himself multiple times over. The swinging new-ball threat of his early years has been supplemented by an armoury of slower deliveries, off-cutters and the ability to extract awkward bounce at hard lengths. He took 17 wickets in IPL 2025 to help RCB win their maiden title.

The Match: RCB Rout CSK With Record 250

The Bhuvneshwar milestone was the subplot of a night that belonged entirely to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB posted 250 for 3 — the third-highest score in their franchise history, and the highest total ever scored against Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match.

Phil Salt and Virat Kohli set the platform at the top before RCB’s last 10 overs produced something extraordinary — 157 runs off 56 balls, propelled by Rajat Patidar (48 off 19 balls, six sixes) and Tim David (70 off 25 balls, eight sixes). Together, their unbeaten 99-run stand came off just 36 balls.

David’s 70 included a monstrous 106-metre pull that cleared the stadium roof. Patidar was the perfect partner, hitting Noor Ahmad over the boundary off just his second ball at the crease.

CSK’s chase was broken before it could begin — their top three were back in the dressing room within three overs. Sarfaraz Khan’s 50 and Prashant Veer’s 43 added some respectability, but CSK finished 207 all out in 19.4 overs — beaten by 43 runs and suffering their third consecutive defeat of the season.

Match Scorecard

Result: RCB beat CSK by 43 runs.

RCB are now two from two this season, mounting the kind of start that defending champions dream of. CSK, without MS Dhoni and now three matches into a losing start, face mounting questions about their middle-order depth and how quickly Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side can turn things around.