In a stunning display of power hitting, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Romario Shepherd launched a brutal assault on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Khaleel Ahmed in the 19th over. En route to a blistering half-century achieved in just 14 balls, Shepherd plundered 33 runs off Khaleel in that single over. Walking in to bat at a crucial juncture where RCB was looking for a rapid acceleration to their innings, Shepherd helped himself to four towering sixes and two well-placed boundaries against Khaleel in the penultimate over. This onslaught made Khaleel Ahmed's over the most expensive of the entire IPL 2025 season so far, surpassing the 30 runs previously conceded by Karim Janat against Vaibhav Suryavanshi earlier in the tournament.
Watch Khaleel Ahmed wreaking havoc on Khaleel Ahmed
Prior to this match, Khaleel Ahmed had enjoyed a commendable IPL season, having taken 14 wickets. However, Romario Shepherd's explosive innings resulted in the CSK pacer entering the record books for an unwanted distinction.
Shepherd's onslaught didn't end with the penultimate over. He continued his aggressive batting into the final over, smashing an additional 20 runs off Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. This late flourish propelled him to a breathtaking half-century in just 14 balls, marking the fastest fifty of the IPL 2025 season and equaling the second-fastest fifty ever recorded in the history of the tournament.
Earlier in the innings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had established a solid foundation with half-centuries from their opener Jacob Bethell and star batsman Virat Kohli. Despite experiencing a slowdown in the middle overs, Shepherd's incredible late-innings hitting ensured that RCB posted a formidable total of 213 runs.