"There was a massive turning point in this match" - Aakash Chopra on RCB's IPL 2025 loss to DC

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked Phil Salt's run-out as a massive turning point in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 loss to the Delhi Capitals (DC). He pointed out that the RCB opener had thrashed Mitchell Starc and given his side a flying start before his dismissal virtually stalled their innings.

Despite Salt smashing 37 runs off 17 deliveries, RCB managed only 163/7 in Match 24 of IPL 2025 in Bengaluru on Thursday, April 10. DC achieved the target with six wickets and 13 deliveries to spare to start their campaign in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League with four consecutive wins.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that Salt's run-out altered the course of the game.

"There was a massive turning point in this match. That was Phil Salt's run-out. Phil Salt hit 30 runs in a Mitchell Starc over, a six off the first ball, then another six and fours. He was absolutely outstanding. He had shaken Starc up. They had reached 53 after three overs. However, then he got run out," he said (8:15).

Chopra noted that RCB scored at a snail's pace after the England opener's dismissal.

"When he got run out, suddenly it seemed someone had put a pin on a flying balloon, or had pulled the chain in a running bullet train because after that, you batted for 16 overs and scored only 100 runs. Just think how slow the road ahead became. Phil Salt was playing as if he was on a different pitch. That was, in my opinion, a huge turning point," he observed.

Phil Salt was run out after a mix-up with Virat Kohli. When he was dismissed, RCB were comfortably placed at 61/1 after 3.5 overs, but they managed only 102 runs in the remaining 16.1 overs.

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"Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam showed that wrist-spinners have a specialty" - Aakash Chopra lauds DC duo's spells in IPL 2025 win vs RCB

Kuldeep Yadav bowled a potent and economical spell in DC's IPL 2025 clash against RCB. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra chose Kuldeep Yadav (2/17 in four overs) and Vipraj Nigam's (2/18 in four overs) spells as the second turning point in the IPL 2025 clash between the Delhi Capitals and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

"The second big story was wrist-spin, whether it was Vipraj Nigam or Kuldeep Yadav. Just think about it, it's a small ground. Of course, there was slight help for the spinners on this pitch, but Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam showed that wrist-spinners have a specialty, especially a wrist-spinner who turns the ball and gives revolutions," he said (9:05).

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the DC wrist-spinners deceived the opposition batters with flight.

"The ball falls after making a parabola, and when you have a trajectory like that, you feel the ball would pitch slightly closer to you than it does. Half the time, you find that the ball remained away from you. We saw that with (Virat) Kohli as well. The same thing happened with Krunal Pandya, Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma. Eight overs of wrist-spin changed the game," Chopra elaborated.

Aakash Chopra acknowledged that RCB also had a wrist-spinner in Suyash Sharma in their bowling attack but highlighted that he doesn't flight the ball. The analyst opined that the three-time runners-up missed a trick by not acquiring a wily leg-spinner like Yuzvendra Chahal in the IPL 2025 auction.