RCB have won their first two away games in the ongoing IPL season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) registered a thumping 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing IPL 2025 season at Chepauk on Friday (March 28).
It was RCB’s second successive victory of the season and their first win at CSK’s home ground after 17 years.
Impressed with the franchise’s performance, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers hailed RCB’s squad balance, saying that it has significantly improved compared to previous years.
"The balance of the RCB squad is 10 times better compared to previous seasons," de Villiers said while speaking his podcast ‘AB de Villiers 360', emphasising the importance of squad depth over relying on individual brilliance.
He explained, "I saw Bhuvi and thought, ‘he wasn't going to play, and now he's in.' That's what you want. You want guys where you go, ‘wow, is this guy the replacement?' He wasn't in the first game against KKR, and now they bring in Bhuvi Kumar in the second. That's the kind of balance and depth you need."
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made an immediate impact on the game, dismissing Deepak Hooda early and reducing CSK to 26/3 in the powerplay, which eventually restricted them to 146/8 in the chase of 197.
De Villiers was particularly impressed by RCB's performances in back-to-back away victories against KKR and CSK. He suggested that constant travel might actually benefit the Bengaluru-based franchise, helping maintain team chemistry.
"Traveling all the time can sometimes bring a squad together more than staying at home, where players might split up and do their own thing," he remarked.
RCB’s next match is scheduled against Gujarat Titans in the home ground i.e. the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday (April 2).