Virat Kohli, Krunal Pandya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were praised by former India spinner Piyush Chawla for leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a six-wicket victory against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The victory also put RCB in third position in the standings and preserved their season-long undefeated away record.

The Delhi Capitals were held to 162/8 in 20 overs by Bhuvneshwar’s 3-33 and Josh Hazlewood’s 2-36, with KL Rahul (41) and Tristan Stubbs (34) making the greatest contributions for the home team.

After dropping three wickets at a score of 26, Kohli and Krunal responded with a partnership that set the match at 119 runs. With nine balls remaining, the team crossed the finish line with to 51 runs from Kohli and 73 runs from Krunal, who was undefeated and hit four sixes and five fours.

“You have to give the squad credit for their outstanding cricket performance, RCB. We witnessed what Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) can do with the old ball as well since you mentioned their bowling and batting. Taking those important wickets in those two overs was really important. You have to give Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya credit for their skillful staging of their combination when it comes to chasing on a challenging surface.

“They were under a lot of pressure at one point, but they continued to dig deep. In particular, Krunal Pandya, who ensured that the necessary run rate remained under control by taking calculated chances and making huge smashes when necessary. On JioHotstar, Chawla said, “The team is looking great, and the way they’re playing, everything is contributing to the cause, which is why they’re winning everything away from home.”

The seasoned spinner said that since Kohli played to the demands of the game, his contribution to the RCB was crucial.

“Getting those two vital points in the points table is what matters, regardless of how Virat earned his 50 runs. The score wasn’t too high, and after losing three wickets, you need someone to keep the other players from losing too many from one end so they could center around you. too’s why RCB needed someone to lead the innings.

“Virat has done just that. Those 51 runs were just as important as Bhuvi’s slog overs. Virat provides the squad a fantastic foundation to pursue and does a fantastic job of calculating those 160–170 chases,” Chawla remarked.

“Krunal is a skilled spinner, which makes him more dangerous at that intermediate stage. You have to give Krunal a lot of credit because it was a challenging wicket to bat on—even Virat acknowledged that the surface was challenging. It really paid off the way he batted, accepted responsibility, and took measured risks. After settling down for around thirty balls, he advanced in a just amazing manner,” he said.

Regarding Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s last overs, Chawla said, “Bhuvi didn’t give any pace in those final overs.” He made excellent use of that old ball while being careful not to give up too many runs; those two overs, in which he only gave up eight runs, were really important. It would have made a significant difference to chase 180+ runs if he had conceded 20–22 runs. Even though Bhuvi doesn’t bowl as aggressively or quickly, he always makes sure to play for the team.