Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 8 wickets to enter the final in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh.
RCB easily achieved the target of 101 runs by scoring 106/2 in 10 overs. With this win, RCB made it to the IPL final for the first time since 2016. On the other hand, Punjab Kings will now face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
The Eliminator will be played between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) on 30 May 2025 in Chandigarh. The winner of this match will play against PBKS in Qualifier 2, which will be held in Ahmedabad on 1 June 2025. The final will be played on June 3, 2025 in Ahmedabad.
Qualifier 1: Punjab Kings 101/10 (14.1 overs)
Punjab Kings’ batting completely collapsed, and they were bundled out for just 101 runs in 14.1 overs.
Marcus Stoinis (26 runs, 17 balls) and Prabhsimran Singh (18 runs, 10 balls) showed some resistance, but the RCB bowlers did not give them any chance. Key batsmen like captain Shreyas Iyer (2 runs, 3 balls) and Josh Inglis (4 runs, 7 balls) returned to the pavilion early.
Josh Hazlewood (3/21) and Suyash Sharma (3/17) bowled brilliantly for RCB, taking three wickets each. Yash Dayal (2/26), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/17), and Romario Shepherd (1/5) also made crucial contributions. This was Punjab’s lowest score in IPL playoff history.
Punjab Kings top scorers
- Marcus Stoinis: 26 runs (17 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes)
- Prabhsimran Singh: 18 runs (10 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
- Azamtullah Umarzai: 18 runs (12 balls, 1 four, 1 six)
- Nehal Wadhera: 8 runs (10 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes)
Royal Challengers Bangalore top bowlers
- Josh Hazlewood: 3.1 overs, 21 runs, 3 wickets
- Suyash Sharma: 3 overs, 17 runs, 3 wickets
- Yash Dayal: 4 overs, 26 runs, 2 wickets
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 2 overs, 17 runs, 1 wicket
- Romario Shepherd: 1 over, 5 runs, 1 wicket
Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bangalore 106/2 (10 overs)
Chasing the target of 102 runs, RCB won easily on the basis of an unbeaten half-century innings of Phil Salt (56 * runs, 27 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes).
Captain Rajat Patidar (15 * runs, 8 balls) remained unbeaten with him. Virat Kohli (12 runs, 12 balls) and Mayank Agarwal (19 runs, 13 balls) also made useful contributions.
For Punjab, Mushir Khan (1/27) and Kyle Jamieson (1/27) took one wicket each, but their bowling failed to stop the RCB batsmen.
Top scorers of Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Phil Salt: 56* runs (27 balls, 6 fours, 3 sixes)
- Mayank Agarwal: 19 runs (13 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
- Rajat Patidar: 15* runs (8 balls, 1 four, 1 six)
- Virat Kohli: 12 runs (12 balls, 2 fours, 0 sixes)
Top bowlers of Punjab Kings
- Mushir Khan: 2 overs, 27 runs, 1 wicket
- Kyle Jamieson: 3 overs, 27 runs, 1 wicket
- Arshdeep Singh: 2 overs, 20 runs, 0 wickets
- Harpreet Brar: 2 overs, 18 runs, 0 wickets
- Azamtullah Umarzai: 1 over, 10 runs, 0 wickets
Decisive moment of the match
The turning point of the match was the 8th over, when Suyash Sharma dismissed Shashank Singh (3) and Mushir Khan (0) on consecutive balls to reduce PBKS to 60/7.
Suyash then took the wicket of Marcus Stoinis (26), which completely shattered Punjab’s innings. RCB then achieved the target easily, with Phil Salt’s half-century in 23 balls being decisive.
Eliminator: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians
Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will face each other in Chandigarh on May 30, 2025 in the Eliminator. GT finished third in the league stage with 18 points, while MI finished fourth with 16 points.
The winner of this match will take on PBKS in Qualifier 2, which will take place in Ahmedabad on June 1, 2025. The losing team will be eliminated from the tournament.
