Out on the field, Chennai Super Kings’ captain Ruturaj Gaikwad stood head bowed, shoulders low, following another loss - this makes three now in a row. A 43-run gap against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Owning up to it straight away, David wreaked havoc, and the visiting team's top order was blown away quickly by Jacob Duffy. "If I had contributed more, maybe it could have been different. It (the loss) was definitely on me today," he said.
Midway through RCB’s batting, Gaikwad mentioned during the post-game talk that he believed Chennai remained in control. Yet gaps in execution allowed the edge to fade, and momentum shifted when discipline broke down around the 14th over. Though chances lingered past the halfway mark, small lapses piled up just enough to tip it away. He pointed to those turning points, not one single error, as what shaped the outcome. The margin stayed thin until the rhythm changed, then the balance tilted beyond recovery.
“Almost had him, but it turned into a no-ball”: Ruturaj Gaikwad regrets missed opportunity against Tim David
When Anshul Kamboj bowled a yorker that should have dismissed Tim David, the moment fizzled. Gaikwad stood back, frustrated, seeing the front foot ruin it. The batsman then exploded into life: seventy runs off twenty-five deliveries began unfolding right there. What might’ve been an early wicket slipped away because of one step too far forward.
"Almost got a wicket of him, but it was an illegal delivery. After that, he smacked it all around the park. Hats off to him."
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Funny how a quiet word can spark such fire. That late surge by Tim David? Shaped less by luck, more by chats under the stand with Dinesh Karthik. The Aussie’s rhythm didn’t just show up it arrived packed in advice, timed right before the lights came on. Conditions bent to prep, not chance. His smile afterwards said enough.
Flying off the bat, David cracked eight huge sixes, three fours too, as RCB surged to 250 for 3. Bowlers followed up by tearing through CSK, wrapping them up at 207. His captain, Rajat Patidar, once called him the finest closer he’d witnessed.
"I do not change my game much, but I have confidence from all the preparation that I do. It is nice to work with DK (Dinesh Karthik's fraternity name); he is an experienced player in these conditions. I have been in the IPL for a few years, and with that kind of preparation, you don't put pressure on yourself to perform," David said at the post-match presentation.
A blazing 48 from captain Rajat Patidar lit up the start, his 19-ball knock sparking RCB's charge. While talking about David, he called him among the finest closers around these days. That kind of sharp hitting at the top gave them room to push harder later. His words carried weight. David stays calm under pressure, again and again showing exactly what it means to deliver.
Sometimes things click during a game. David felt that thanks to those beside him in the order, Jitesh Sharma, then Romario Shepherd, he could just swing without worry. Krunal Pandya stepped up when it mattered, bowling a key over that sent Sarfaraz Khan and Kartik Sharma back to the pavilion. Pressure doesn’t shake Patidar; he turns to KP instead.
