Tim David becomes first player in IPL 2025 to win 'Player of the Match' after losing the game

Tim David stole the show on Friday night despite RCB’s poor performance and a 5-wicket defeat against PBKS at their home ground, Bengaluru. The star batter came to bat at number seven after RCB had lost 5 wickets at the score of just 33 runs and were in big trouble.

Taking the charge from this moment amidst a fall of wickets at regular intervals, Tim David displayed an amazing resilience and played a valiant knock of 50 runs off just 26 balls, with five fours and three sixes to rescue RCB from a miserable position in the first innings.

Meanwhile, the star Aussie batter also became the first player in the ongoing IPL 2025 to win the ‘Player of the Match’ award even after his team lost the game. Apart from his 50-run knock in the first innings, he also took two brilliant catches in the second innings to dismiss both the openers of Punjab Kings, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh.

TIM DAVID BECOMES THE FIRST PLAYER TO WIN POTM AWARD AFTER LOSING IN IPL 2025. 🤯👏

- The heroics of David. 🙇‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/H71J9UMXNk

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 18, 2025

Nehal Wadhera leads run-chase for PBKS after early blows

Speaking of the action of the game between RCB and PBKS, the visiting skipper, Shreyas Iyer, won the toss and asked RCB to bat first. Batting first, the hosts could score only 95 runs for the loss of 9 wickets, courtesy of the 26-ball half-century scored by Tim David. Besides him, it was only the skipper Rajat Patidar to cross the double-digit mark, scoring 23 runs off 18 balls, with one four and a six.

Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marco Jansen, and Harpreet Brar scalped 2 wickets each for PBKS in the first innings, alongside a wicket claimed by Xavier Bartlett.

While chasing the target, Punjab Kings got a quick start of 22 runs in 2.4 overs by the openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Later in the innings, the star middle-order batter Nehal Wadhera played an unbeaten and a match-winning knock of 33 runs off just 19 balls, with three fours and three sixes.

Eventually, Punjab Kings comfortably chased down the target in 12.1 overs, scoring 98 runs for losing 5 wickets and winning the game by 5 wickets to move to the second spot in the tournament’s points table.