Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru tonight in the IPL 2025. Delhi Capitals led by allrounder Axar Patel are still unbeaten so far in the tournament. RCB meanwhile, have lost one out of four games played.

RCB have relied on intent from their batting unit, especially the likes of Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar himself playing a fearless brand of cricket out in the middle. Delhi on the other hand, have shown signs of being title contenders thanks to contributions from senior players like Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar himself, KL Rahul during critical phases. Youngsters like Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh Sharma have played their part too.

And as we approach this exciting encounter, here is a look at 3 players you should definitely watch out for.

1. Virat Kohli

Nobody loves scoring at the Chinnaswamy more than Virat Kohli. In fact, Kohli has shifted gears in the powerplay like never before. Since the start of IPL 2024, he’s been going after the bowlers early, scoring at a strike rate of 162 in his first 10 balls — a significant jump from the 122 strike rate he maintained in the previous two seasons.

VIRAT KOHLI 67(42) VS MI IPL 2025 HIGHLIGHTS 🔥#RCBvsMI pic.twitter.com/ntHoNTsvdr

— Men’s Cricket (@MensCricket) April 8, 2025

Another thing that will be worth watching is his match-up with Starc – Kohli has hit him for 40 runs off just 19 deliveries without being dismissed in the IPL.

2. Jake Fraser Mcgurk

The Australian opener has had a forgetful start to the IPL this season and has looked completely out of sorts. With 39 runs in three games, it’s probably time now Mcgurk to come to the party, more so because his team has found ways to cover up for his shortcomings so far but on high-scoring, grounds with short boundaries, they would want him to unleash his full range.

Since the start of IPL 2025, he boasts the highest powerplay strike rate — a blistering 205 — among all batters with 200 or more runs. But the question is – will the real JFM please stand up?

3. Josh Hazlewood

While their batting might always grab the headlines at RCB, Josh Hazlewood’s return to the franchise has been a game-changer for them. Hazlewood has adapted to pitches tremendously well. He has almost been unplayable in the powerplay whenever he has found extra bounce carry off the surface.

First wicket of IPL 2025

Hazlewood got the fst wicket in this season #IPL2025 #rcb#KKRvsRCB pic.twitter.com/Vw0ABPTflk

— Ooh Sanchaari (@Nandu_1311) March 22, 2025

Thanks to him, RCB have recorded a powerplay bowling average of 26.28, behind only Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals (DC). The Aussie pacer’s dot-ball percentage of 72.92 is the highest in the powerplay among those who have bowled multiple overs in that phase this season. Explains just about why he has been instrumental in RCB knocking blows to teams like CSK, MI and KKR already this season.