What happened in the first six overs of Delhi Capitals’ innings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on April 27 was not cricket as it is normally understood in the IPL.

Delhi Capitals collapse to 13/6 in the powerplay against RCB

It was something closer to a demolition carried out with surgical precision by two of the most experienced swing bowlers in the format. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each in the powerplay. DC were 13 for 6 at the end of the sixth over.

It is the lowest powerplay total in the history of the IPL, beating the previous record of 14 set twice, once by Rajasthan Royals against RCB in Cape Town in 2009 and once by SRH against RR in Pune in 2022. DC also matched the record for the most wickets lost in the powerplay in a non-curtained IPL game, the six matching Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s collapse against Deccan Chargers in 2011.

DC vs RCB: How the 13/6 collapse unfolded ball by ball against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood

Bhuvneshwar Kumar started it with the very first ball of the innings swinging it away to find the outside edge of debutant Sahil Parakh who could only nick to Hazlewood at short third.

The second ball was an inswinging yorker that demolished Parakh’s middle stump. Gone for a duck on debut. Bhuvneshwar had two wickets in two balls and Delhi had not scored a run.

Hazlewood took over in the second over and made it worse. He banged a hard length delivery at 141.4 kilometers per hour into KL Rahul who was cramped for room and could not pull or cut from that length and line.

The top edge was taken by Jitesh Sharma. Rahul went for 1 having scored 152 not out in his previous innings just two days earlier.

The very next ball Hazlewood bowled fuller and wider with late away movement and Sameer Rizvi threw his hands at a drive and nicked it behind for a golden duck.

DC were 2 for 3 after 13 balls and Hazlewood was on a hat-trick for RCB. Tristan Stubbs avoided it with a wristy drive but then nicked to slips for 5 off three balls. Three balls later Bhuvneshwar found the outside edge of Axar Patel with late movement to leave DC at 7 for 5 in 2.4 overs. The stats confirmed it was the earliest any team had lost five wickets in an IPL innings.

DC brought in Porel as an Impact Player in desperation.

Hazlewood continued in the fourth over bouncing Nitish Rana out angling the ball into his armpit from around the stumps. Rana hung his bat up and popped a catch to Padikkal at wide slip. DC were 8 for 6 in the fourth over vs RCB.

The ball was swinging late throughout, the RCB keeper and two slips in constant play. It looked like Test match cricket had been accidentally inserted into a T20 game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. By the end of the powerplay DC had managed 13 for 6. The previous IPL powerplay record had stood for 17 years.

RCB’s new ball pair demolished it in six overs.

DC vs RCB: What the 13/6 powerplay record means and where it sits in IPL history

The full list of lowest IPL powerplay totals in full games makes for remarkable reading. DC’s 13 for 6 against RCB in Delhi 2026 is the new record. The previous lowest was 14 set by RR against RCB in Cape Town in 2009 and matched by SRH against RR in Pune in 2022.

CSK were bowled out for 15 by the end of the powerplay against KKR in Kolkata in 2011 and against DC in Raipur in 2015. DC’s 13 sits alone at the bottom of that list and the manner in which it was constructed, six wickets falling across four overs with the ball swinging throughout under the lights in Delhi, makes it one of the most extraordinary passages of play the tournament has seen in its 19-year. history.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood each took three wickets and between them produced a powerplay spell that will be shown in coaching sessions for years.