IPL 2025 RCB vs CSK: I saw bowler's body language, he was confused: RCB's Shepherd on assault on CSK's Khaleel

Romario Shepherd's explosive 14-ball 53 shifted the IPL match in RCB's favor with powerful hitting against CSK bowlers.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Romario Shepherd said he sensed confusion in Khaleel Ahmed's thinking, which helped him execute his range-hitting plans effectively against the Chennai Super Kings pacer in the death overs.

Shepherd changed the course of the IPL match here on Saturday (May 4, 2025) night with a blistering unbeaten 14-ball 53 in RCB's two-run win. It was the joint second-fastest fifty in the history of the league.

"To be honest, I was more focused on the bowler and what he was trying to do. When I hit the first two (sixes), I knew I had the bowler under pressure. I saw his body language. So I was like, okay, let me try and put him under some more pressure," said Shepherd in the post-match press conference.

"Then I saw him (Khaleel Ahmed), he was kind of confused. So, I know I had him. So, at that point, I just continue going," he added.

The fastest fifty of the IPL was struck off just 13 balls by Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2023, while both KL Rahul (2018) and Pat Cummins (2022) had also earlier made half-centuries off 14 balls.

Shepherd punished Ahmed for 33 runs in the 19th over and Matheesha Pathirana for 21 runs in the 20th over as RCB raced 213 for five from 159 for five at the end of the 18th over.

But the Guyanese cricketer said he was not pre-meditating to hit all the balls out of the park.