Having registered seven of their nine wins in the season on the road, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were confident about their chances when they took on Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur in New Chandigarh.
Also, they had beaten PBKS when they last clashed in Mullanpur earlier in the league in the Indian Premier League 2025.
They had only one day break between their last league match in Lucknow and Qualifier 1. But in the end, that did not matter as RCB came up with a superb performance to outplay Punjab Kings.
On Thursday, everything, from the toss to the final result, went in their favour as RCB stormed into the final with an eight-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.
RCB came up with a superb bowling performance, used the conditions well, and with Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood claiming three wickets apiece, bowled out PBKS for 101 runs in 14.1 overs.
I think we were clear in our plans, especially in terms of how we needed to bowl. The fast bowlers used the surface really well. The way Suyash chipped in, sticking to his lines and lengths, was really impressive. As a captain, I am very clear about his role with the ball. He has to target the stumps – that is his strength. His wrong’un is difficult for batters to read. I always try to give him clear instructions because I do not want to confuse him. I am okay if he concedes a few runs in the process.
On a pitch that offered pace and extra bounce, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma bagged 3-17 while Hazlewood, who returned to the side after an injury break, claimed 3-21 to rip apart the PBKS’ strong batting line-up. The duo got good support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-17), Yash Dayal (2-26), and Romario Shepherd (1-5)as they laid the foundation for a dominating RCB win.
The pacers set the ball rolling for RCB with Hazlewood dismissing the dangerous Priyansh Arya (7), and Bhuvi got the very successful Prabhsimran Singh (18). Hazlewood then packed off skipper Shreyas Iyer (2) and Josh Inglis (4) as PBKS slumped to 38/4 from which they never recovered as Suyash Sharma got into the act in the middle overs.
Chasing a paltry total, opener Phil Salt scored a 23-ball fifty, his fastest half-century in the IPL, in a fine display of power-hitting that helped RCB canter to 106/2 in 10 overs. Virat Kohli was out for a run-a-ball 12 while Mayank Agarwal scored 19 off 13 while Salt remained unbeaten on 56 off 27, as RCB completed the chase with 10 overs to spare.
"The way Phil Salt has been batting throughout the tournament, the way he gives us quick starts – I am a big fan of his. It is a treat to watch him from the dugout. I always want to thank the RCB fans. Wherever we go, it feels like we are playing on our home ground. Please keep supporting us,” said Patidar, who scored 15 not out as he guided his team to victory.
The win ensures that RCB will now travel to Ahmedabad, where they will play their fourth IPL final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. PBKS, on the other hand, will have another shot at making the final when they play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator clash between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians at the same venue on Sunday.
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer said they will have to get back to the drawing board and work on their batting for Qualifier 2. He said they did not execute their plans with the bat.
Not a day to forget, but we have to go to the drawing board. We were befuddled and lost a lot of wickets. Something to go back and study. Not doubting my decisions in terms of planning. Outside of the ground, it was on point. Couldn't execute, can't blame our bowlers. It was such a low total. Got to work on our batting, on this wicket.
Brief Scores: Punjab Kings 101 all out in 14.1 overs (Marcus Stoinis 26, Prabhsimran Singh 18; Suyash Sharma 3-17, Josh Hazlewood 3-21) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 106/2 in 10 overs (Phil Salt 56 not out, Mayank Agarwal 19; Kyle Jamieson 1-27, Musheer Khan 1-27) by eight wickets
