IPL 2025: RCB outmuscle Punjab Kings to enter final in dominant style

Royal Challengers Bengaluru completely outmuscled the Punjab Kings one-sidedly by a huge margin of 8 wickets in the first qualifier of the ongoing IPL 2025. With this win, RCB have made a dominant and direct entry into the tournament’s final, which is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3, at 7:30 PM (IST).

Returning to the first qualifier, the visiting skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and asked PBKS to bat first. Batting first, the hosts’ batting lineup collapsed drastically; they were bundled out at the score of just 101 runs in 14.1 overs. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was the only one to show some resilience with the bat, scoring 26 runs off 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes. It was the only 20+ individual knock for Punjab Kings in the first innings.

Speaking of RCB bowlers, the star spinner Suyash Sharma and veteran pacer Josh Hazlewood scalped 3 wickets each at just 17 and 21 runs in their 3 and 3.1 overs, respectively. Apart from these two, Yash Dayal also claimed 2 wickets at just 26 runs in his four overs, alongside a wicket picked by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd.

Phil Salt shines in RCB’s swashbuckling run-chase

While chasing the target, RCB got a quick opening start of 30 runs in just 3.2 overs by the opening pair of Phil Salt and former skipper Virat Kohli, before the latter fell prey to Kyle Jamieson on the second ball of the fourth over. He scored 12 runs off 12 balls, with two fours. Later in the innings, star in-form opener Phil Salt smashed an unbeaten knock of 56 runs off just 27 balls, with six fours and three sixes, with a sensational strike rate of 207.40.

Skipper Rajat Patidar also played an unbeaten knock of 15 runs off just 8 balls, with one four and the winning six he smashed to claim RCB’s massive 8-wicket win over PBKS. Impact player Mayank Agarwal also scored 19 runs off 13 balls, with two fours and a six.

On the back of these knocks, the visitors comfortably chased down the target in just 10 overs and won the game by 8 wickets, scoring 106 runs for the loss of just 2 wickets. Star spinner Suyash Sharma won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning bowling performance to help RCB bundle out the hosts at the score of just 101 runs in 14.1 overs.

Now, RCB will play the winner of the second qualifier in the tournament’s final; notably, the second qualifier of the tournament will be played between the Punjab Kings and the winner of the eliminator clash between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians.

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