Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) inched closer to their maiden IPL title as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the qualifier-1 of the IPL 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh on May 29. The victory helped the team qualify for the final which will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium next Tuesday.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first. His call to chose to bowl first was vindicated as the team’s bowling attack ripped PBKS’ batting apart, bowling out the opposition for a meager score of 101 in 14.1 overs.
RCB’s Indian pace duo of Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar kick-started PBKS’s downfall as they picked the wickets of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh in quick succession. Punjab were reduced to 27/2 in three overs.
A fit again Josh Hazlewood then took matters in his own hands as he picked PBKS’s next two wickets. The Australian fast bowler dismissed his compatriot Josh Inglis and PBKS’ skipper Shreyas Iyer to defang PBKS batting lineup.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Joins World Bowling League As Strategic Investor
Punjab were tottering at 38/4. It is at this stage that all-rounder Marcus Stoinis dropped the anchor and tried to stabalise the innings. But the show from the RCB bowlers was far from over. After the pacers had done the early damage, it was the turn of leg spinner Suyash Sharma to display his art. Suyash first ended Stoinis’ resistance. Stoinis top-scored for Punjab with a knock of 26 in 17 deliveries. The spinner then dismissed Shashank Singh and Musheer Khan inside one over. At 60/7 in 8.5 overs, Punjab had effectively lost the contest and only a miracle could have seen them bounce back and snatch a victory.
But it wasn’t a night of miracles at Mullanpur as Hazlewood picked the wicket of Azmatullah Omarzai to finish-off the Punjab innings and complete a three-fer on his return. By finishing Punjab’s innings in 14.1 overs, Bengaluru became the first team to bowl out an opposition inside 15 overs in an IPL playoff match.
A target of 102 was never going to be difficult for Bengaluru, but Philp Salt, the team’s swashbuckling opener, hammered a fiery half-century (56 off 27 balls) to finish the chase as early as at the end of the 10th over. Bengaluru did lose Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal along the way but Salt’s belligerence coupled with a set of demoralized Punjab players meant that those wickets did not hurt Bengaluru much. With 10 overs still remaining, Bengaluru registered the biggest win by balls remaining for a IPL playoff game.
It was a statement victory by RCB who are looking to end their 18-year-long trophy drought. Suyash was adjudged the Player of the match for his superb spell of 3/17.
Shreyas Iyer’s side will have to bounce back from this resounding defeat as they now await the winner of the Eliminator which will be played between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans tonight.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet
4 Responses
Kyle Jamieson’s 2nd over was the only good moment from Punjab yesterday. They looked completely out of sorts.
Well presented about the stratagy of Royal Challengers becoming ahead in IPL.
RCB’s dominant performance against PBKS was impressive, showcasing their strong bowling and batting lineup..
Well presented article.
PBKS were never in the game through out the match.