QUALIFIER 1, PBKS Vs RCB, MULLANPUR , CHANDIGARH : RCB’s Bowlers Powerpack Performance and Salt’s Sizzling Stand Cleared the path of RCB to IPL 2025 Final .
Bowlers stood up as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 8 wickets in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur. The win helped RCB advance to the final for the fourth time overall. Opting to bowl first, the side restricted PBKS to 101 runs. The RCB bowlers vindicated skipper Rajat Patidar’s call to bowl after winning the toss, by dismissing PBKS for a lowly total in 14.1 overs. – The top-scorer of the innings was Marcus Stoinis, with 26. Young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma (3/17) was the star of the day for RCB, claiming three wickets while pacers Josh Hazlewood (3/21), Yash Dayal (2/26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/17) also contributed to the team’s win. Phil Salt’s 56 off 27 balls in a paltry chase helped RCB to an easy win. RCB’s Bowlers Powerpack Performance and Salt’s Sizzling Stand Cleared the path of RCB to IPL 2025 Final .
TOSS-
TOSS: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and decided to bowl.
PLAYING XI-
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI):
Virat Kohli Philip Salt Rajat Patidar(c) Liam Livingstone Jitesh Sharma(w) Romario Shepherd Krunal Pandya Bhuvneshwar Kumar Yash Dayal Josh Hazlewood Suyash Sharma
Punjab Kings Impact Subs:
Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlet.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs:
Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.
PUNJAB KINGS-
The recalled Rajat Patidar made a vital call at the toss on a pitch with a smidgen of grass covering. His seamers piggy-backed, asking questions, taking the away movement late, finding swing and holding disciplined lengths. The tone was set by Yash Dayal, who had Priyansh Arya incautiously driving to cover. Prabhsimran Singh countered with aggression, stepping out to loft Bhuvneshwar Kumar over mid-on and mid-off for boundaries, but the veteran seamer read him smartly and shortened his length to make the batsman nick it to the keeper. Hazlewood then returned to add to PBKS’s woes, bowling two wickets in quick succession. He began by adding to his previous Over dominance over Shreyas Iyer, the PBKS skipper nicking a skier behind in the wild slog. The Aussie paceman then picked up compatriot Josh Inglis with another short delivery that induced a miscued pull.
Pace or spin, PowerPlay or not, RCB were merciless, helped a bit by PBKS’ shot selection. Nehal Wadhera self dragged Yash Dayal on to his stumps to be replaced by the saviour with the bat this season- Suyash Sharma. The legspinner castled Shashank Singh with a googly after the batsman went on counter-offensive. At 60 for 6, they held up Musheer Khan as their Impact Player, but the debutant faced only three balls before missing a sweep to present Suyash his second wicket of the over. The only bright spark, Marcus Stoinis smashed a six but, soon after, was bowled by another Suyash googly, going for a slog-sweep for 26 in 17 balls.
Azmatullah Omarzai and Harpreet Brar put up a brief resistance, but Romario Shepherd broke the stand when a short ball hit Brar on the forearm and ricocheted onto the stumps – the fourth batter to lose his stumps. Hazlewood was back to polish off the innings with the first ball of the 15th over, Jitesh Sharma leaping high to take a stunning one-handed catch off yet another edge.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU-
PBKS, lifted by a vocal home support and the memory of having already defended a low total on this ground, started with intent. But two easy overs up front took RCB to 30 in three. Kyle Jamieson briefly reignited hope with a stunning fourth over, swinging it big, seaming it and serving just the sixth maiden over of the season. He also had Virat Kohli caught behind for 12. Mayank Agarawal’s timid walk, three curious pokes and a mindful leave, was a document of PBKS’ petulance.
That was the sum total of their fight. Phil Salt took charge, initially smashing Azmatullah Omarzai (in for Marco Jansen) for two boundaries through the offside. With the movement sapping, he tore into Jamieson in the final over of the PowerPlay, a pair of searing boundaries either side of the wicket, before he launched a lofted six over cover that left no doubt where this game was going.
Agarawal went after the left-arm spin of Musheer to hoist a six and a four but was snapped caught behind shortly. But then Salt reached a 23-ball half-century and Patidar found the hitting range to crunch four and six off Musheer to finish off a memorable win.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 101 in 14.1 overs (Marcus Stoinis 26; Suyash Sharma 3-17, Josh Hazlewood 3-21) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 106/2 in 10 overs (Phil Salt 56*; Kyle Jamieson 1-27) by 8 wickets .
That was an impressive performance by RCB! Their bowlers really stepped up and dominated the game, especially Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood. Phil Salt’s explosive batting made the chase look effortless. Rajat Patidar’s decision to bowl first turned out to be a masterstroke. Do you think RCB can carry this momentum into the final and finally clinch the title? The way they dismantled PBKS was clinical, but do you think they’ll face tougher competition in the final? I’m curious, what’s your take on Suyash Sharma’s performance—do you see him as a future star for RCB? Let’s discuss!