West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd featured in his fourth match of IPL 2025 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was his first opportunity to bat this season, and he made the most of it.
Coming in at No.7, Shepherd smashed a blazing 53* off just 14 balls, equaling the joint second-fastest fifty in IPL history alongside KL Rahul (2018) and Pat Cummins (2022). His explosive knock included four boundaries and six sixes. Shepherd later shared that he had been eagerly waiting for his chance and was determined to make it count.
“It was tough, you know, sitting there and watching the other players win. Not because I didn’t want them to win, but because I wanted the opportunity to go out there and perform,” Shepherd said in the post-match press conference.
“Today, that opportunity came, and I just tried to make the most of it. I wasn’t aiming to score 53 off 14 balls—I just wanted to help the team finish strong and shift the momentum back in our favour,” Shepherd said.
“Felt confident about facing CSK’s bowling attack”: Shepherd
When Shepherd walked in, RCB were in a tricky spot at 157 for five in 17.4 overs. However, his explosive hitting powered the team to 213 for five, adding 56 runs in the final 14 deliveries.
“At one point, they had the upper hand heading into the last two or three overs. But when I walked to the crease, I had a good sense of what they were trying to bowl. I went in prepared, and Timmy (Tim David) reminded me to hold my shape a bit, since the ball was gripping on the wicket,” Shepherd added.
Romario Shepherd was named Player of the Match after RCB secured a narrow two-run victory to return to the top of the points table. Their upcoming fixture is against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 9 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
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