Royal Challengers Bangalore Secure IPL Final Spot with Dominant Win Over Punjab Kings

RCB's Commanding Victory

Mullanpur (Punjab) [India] - On May 29, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) triumphed over Punjab Kings (PBKS) with an impressive 8-wicket victory, securing their place in the final of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad.

The match showcased a stellar bowling performance from RCB, led by Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma, both of whom claimed three wickets each. The RCB batsmen adopted an aggressive strategy, maintaining pressure from the very first over.

Facing a modest target of 101 runs, PBKS put up a fight, particularly through Kyle Jamieson, who reminded fans of his performance in the inaugural World Test Championship final by dismissing Virat Kohli (12) with a clever delivery.

Kohli attempted to play defensively but ended up edging the ball to Josh Inglis, marking a rare occasion where he was dismissed for less than 40 runs during a chase in IPL 2025.

Mayank Agarwal, who entered as an impact substitute alongside Philip Salt, struck 21 runs in the final over of the powerplay, showcasing his batting prowess.

In a strategic move, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer brought Musheer Khan into the bowling attack, which paid off as he dismissed Mayank for 19 runs off 13 balls.

However, Salt's aggressive batting continued, and he reached his half-century in just 23 balls during the ninth over. RCB's captain Rajat Patidar sealed the victory with a spectacular slog-sweep that sent the ball soaring into the stands.

Earlier in the match, PBKS struggled, collapsing to 48/4 within the powerplay. Marcus Stoinis was the only player to surpass 20 runs, scoring 26 off 17 balls.

RCB's bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Hazlewood, dominated the early overs. Yash claimed the first wicket by catching Priyansh Arya for just seven runs.

Despite a brief resistance from Prabhsimran, who scored 18 runs, PBKS continued to falter, with Hazlewood taking the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer for only two runs.

By the end of the powerplay, PBKS was in dire straits at 48/4, with Stoinis and Nehal Wadhera remaining unbeaten.

Nehal's innings was short-lived as he was bowled out, leaving PBKS at 50/5. The situation worsened as Suyash Sharma took two more wickets, reducing PBKS to 60/7.

PBKS struggled to reach even 100 runs, with Suyash eventually dismissing Stoinis, leaving them at 78/8. The team managed to reach 100 runs in 13.5 overs but was all out for 101 in 14.1 overs.

Suyash (3/17) and Hazlewood (3/21) were the standout bowlers for RCB, while Yash contributed with 2/26 in four overs.