‘Should’ve used common sense’ – Former players slam Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s squad after tame loss to PBKS

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost their third home game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season on Friday. Rajat Patidar and his side lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five wickets in what was a rain-shortened game. Tim David’s maiden IPL fifty meant that RCB were able to post 95 runs on the board after being 42 for seven at one stage. 

Former India batting legend Virender Sehwag slammed RCB’s tactics and questioned their batters. Sehwag wasn’t impressed with the approach shown by the home team batters during his chat with Cricbuzz after the game. Sehwag said, “RCB batted poorly. All of them played reckless shots to get out. Not a single batter was out to a good ball. At least one batter should’ve used common sense”

Virender Sehwag also added, “If they had wickets in hand, they could have reached 110 or 120 in 14 overs, which would have given them a chance to fight”. Barring Tim David, only skipper Rajat Patidar seemed up for a fight as he scored 23 runs. The win on Friday pushed PBKS to the second spot in the IPL table with ten points from seven games. 

During his chat with Cricbuzz, the former India batter also asked Rajat Patidar to take firm control if RCB has to win at home. Sehwag said, “Patidar has to think and come up with a solution. They have not been winning at home. Their bowlers are doing well, but why are their batters faltering regularly? It’s not alright if your batters continuously fail at home. Who is going to rectify that?” 

Mohammad Kaif questions Virat Kohli’s tactics 

Former India and RCB skipper Virat Kohli endured a poor outing with the bat after being dismissed for just one run. Kohli tried to hit Arshdeep Singh over the top but holed out to Marco Jansen, who took a well-judged catch. Former India batter Mohammad Kaif seemed confused with Kohli’s tactics as RCB’s batting crumbled after that wicket. 

During his chat on Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif said, “The pitch was damp, the ball was stopping a bit. This was a pitch where he should have taken five or six balls to have a look at. Not only Kohli, but the other batters as well. So, he should have spent some time in the middle, 14 overs is a lot, he must have thought it was a six-over game”

Speaking after the loss, Rajat Patidar spoke about the lack of partnerships affecting the team. RCB skipper was heard saying, “Initially it was sticking, and was two-paced. But I think we could have done far better as a batting unit. Partnerships are important in batting. We have been losing wickets in intervals”