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IPL 2025 Updates: RCB thrash Punjab to storm into final

Thu, 29 May 2025

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22:07

RCB thrash Punjab to storm into final

RCB 106-2 (10 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Musheer continues as Patidar and Salt take a single before the former plays the inside out lofted shot for a four.

He takes a single down to long-off and Salt clips an ovepitched delivery in the gap at midwicket for one.

Patidar finishes it off in style as he slog sweeps Musheer for a six over midwicket.

RCB smash their way to 106/2 in 10 overs to storm into their fourth IPL final after 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Salt finishes unbeaten on 56 from 27 balls while Patidar stroked 15 from eight balls.

RCB win by eight wickets with 60 balls to spare -- the biggest victory by any team in the playoffs in terms of balls remaining.

RCB seal their place in the IPL 2025 final on June 3, while Punjab Kings will get another chance in the Qualifier 2 match on Sunday against the winner of Friday's Eliminator game.

22:00

Salt slams fifty; RCB set for big win

Phil Salt

RCB 92-2 (9 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Brar continues as Patidar pushes it towards midwicket for one. Salt hits the next through the covers for one to race to his fifty from 23 balls as RCB inch towards an emphatic victory and a place in the final.

A single each to the two batters before Salt cuts the spinner behind point for a four to bring the target down to 10 runs.

RCB are 92/2 in nine overs, needing another 10 runs for victory.

21:57

Agarwal out for 19 but RCB in control

RCB 85-2 (8 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar comes into the attack. Agarwal takes a single to deep midwicket before Salt swings the next over midwicket for a six.

Singles off the next four balls as 11 runs come from the seventh over.

Part-time spinner Musheer Khan comes into the attack. Singles off the first two balls before Agarwal lofts the third ball straight back over the bowler's head for a four.

Musheer bowls a wide half-volley as Agarwal drills it through the covers for a four as RCB race towards a thumping victory.

Musheer fires it straight as Agarwal misses the flick with the ball going off the wicketkeeper's gloves and taken by Shreyas in the slips.

The umpires check for the replays. There is a clear spike on the UltraEdge as Agarwal is given caught off the inside edge for 19.

Musheer perished for a duck but he has now contributed with the ball, picking up the wicket of Agarwal.

Rajat Patidar gets off the mark with a single from the last ball of the over.

21:48

RCB off to a flier; set for big win

RCB 61-1 (6 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Agarwal makes room as he uses his feet to drive Jamieson straight down the ground past mid-on for a four and flicks the next on the bounce to deep square leg for one.

Salt gets a thick outside edge which goes wide of the slip fielder for two runs before he hammers the next through the covers for a four to take RCB past 50.

Jamieson tries the short ball but Salt picks the length early to pull it over midwicket for another four.

The last ball is full and wide and this time Salt lofts it inside out for a six over the covers, to get 21 from the over.

RCB race to 61/1 in six overs, needing another 41 for victory.

Salt making the difference with his attacking approach, having smashed 40 from 18 balls.

21:41

Kohli out for 12; RCB lose 1st wicket

RCB 40-1 (5 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Omarzai Azmatullah comes into the attack. He is getting the new ball to move away as again the Punjab's close in fielders go up in appeal but nothing from the umpire.

The next ball is short and wide as Salt crashes it through the covers for a boundary to release the pressure.

Salt steers the fifth ball behind point for a couple of runs to thirdman and times the last ball to perfection in the same region for a boundary off the last ball.

21:35

Kohli out for 12; RCB lose 1st wicket

RCB 30-1 (4 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Arshdeep continues as Kohli taps the first ball fine to the right of wicketkeeper, who attempts a needless throw to concede an overthrow.

A single each to the two batters before Salt adjusts well to the slower bouncer to pull it over the wicketkeeper for a four.

The last ball is again halfway down as Salt pulls it powerfully over square leg for a six.

Jamieson lifts Punjab's hopes with the key wicket of Kohli. The wide line outside the off-stump again causes Kohli's demise as he pushes away from the body only to get the edge to be caught behind for 12.

RCB bring in their Impact Player as Mayank Agarwal walks in at No 3. Jamieson has settled into a good rhythm as he bowls another beauty, getting the ball to move away and beat the right-hander on the outside edge.

Another play and miss as Agarwal uses his feet but is beaten on the outside edge by a full delivery as he looks to drive.

He offers no shot to the next ball before he plays and misses for the third time as Jamieson's full outswinger goes past the edge.

This time Punjab Kings take the review and some of the fielders are quite confident. There is nothing on the UltraEdge as Punjab lose their review.

A wicket maiden by the lanky Jamieson to revive Punjab's slim hopes.

21:23

RCB off to good start, Punjab 101

RCB 17-0 (2 ovs) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Pacer Kyle Jamieson from the other end. Salt drives the first ball to the fielder at mid-off before clipping the next off his pads for a single.

Jamieson errs with his line as he bowls it too straight and Kohli easily clips it through square leg for a four.

Jamieson gets the back of length delivery to move away along with some extra bounce to beat Kohli on the outside edge as he plays away from his body.

Kohli leans forward to play a front foot drive but straight to the fielder in the covers before he guides the last ball to thirdman for one.

21:19

RCB send Punjab crashing for 101

RCB 11-0 (1 ov) vs Punjab 101 | Scorecard

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are the two openers for RCB, who will no doubt be looking for a positive start but will be wary of not losing too many wickets in the Powerplay.

Arshdeep Singh opens the bowling for Punjab, who need atleast three wickets in the Powerplay.

Salt pushes the first ball on the off-side for a single before Kohli pulls the next in the gap through midwicket for a four to get off the mark in confident fashion.

The next ball is down the leg side as Kohli misses the glance but the ball goes fine off the pads for four leg byes.

He defends the fourth ball before clipping the next off his pads for one and Salt takes a single off the last ball, to get 11 from the opening over.

20:59

RCB send Punjab crashing for 101

Punjab 101 all out (14.1 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Dayal to bowl his fourth and final over. Azmatullah hits the first ball through the off-side for one and Brar punches it past point for two runs followed by a single.

Azmatullah guides the fifth ball to thirdman for another run and Brar avoids the bouncer last ball as Dayal finishes with good figures of 2/26 in four overs.

In the next over, Azmatullah clears his front foot and heaves Suyash over midwicket for a six and takes one off the next ball to long-on.

Suyash bowls left-hander Brar two balls in a row with the wrong ones going past the edge.

Medium pacer Romario Shepherd comes into the attack, to bowl the 14th over.

Azmatullah gets a lucky boundary as the thick outside edge flies past the wicketkeeper for a four and he takes one next ball.

Shepherd also bags a wicket in his first over as he bowls Brar for four as the ball goes off his arm back into the stumps.

A sharp bouncer from Shepherd he rattles new batter Kyle Jamieson, who looks to fend it away but the ball goes off the arm for four leg byes.

Hazlewood finishes off the Punjab innings as he gets Azmatullah caught behind for 18. The right-hander attempted a big heave over the leg side but gets a thick outside edge as wicketkeeper Jitesh dived full length to his right and completed a stunning one-handed catch.

Punjab Kings fold for a lowly 101 in 14.1 overs.

Hazlewood excelled with the ball in his debut match, taking 3/21 in 3.1 overs, while Suyash wrecked the middle order as he bagged 3/17.

Pacers Yash Dayal (2/26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/17) dismantled the Punjab Kings in the Powerplay.

A sorry batting card for Punjab Kings as only three batters managed to score in double digits. The top five batters tallied just 39 runs as RCB's bowlers blew away the hosts in an incredible bowling performance.

20:36

Suyash picks 3rd wicket; Punjab 78/8

Shashank Singh is bowled by Suyash Sharma.

Punjab 78-8 (11 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Krunal Pandya comes into the attack. Azmatullah clips the second ball off his pads for one before Stoinis comes down the track to loft the spinner straight down the ground for a six.

He flicks the fifth ball through midwicket for two runs and keeps strike with one from the last ball.

Suyash starts his new over with five wides as the googly goes down the leg side with Stoinis missing the sweep.

However, he strikes with the wicket of the Australian a couple of balls later. Stoinis also perishes in his attempt to swing the leggie across the line as the googly, bowled quite slower, crashes into the stumps.

Stoinis walks back for 26 as Punjab slip to 78/8 in the 11th over.

RCB take the review after new batter Harpreet Brar is struck on the pads as he fails to pick the googly. However, the ball has pitched outside the line of leg stump to lose the review.

Suyash has excellent figures of 3/8 in two overs, despite conceding five wides.

20:31

RCB's bowlers on fire; Punjab 60/7

Punjab 61-7 (9 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Hazlewood to bowl his third over. Stoinis clubs the second ball through midwicket for a four and then takes a single on the off-side.

Shashank clips the third ball off his pads for a single before Stoinis attempts another heave but the ball goes off the inside half for one.

Leg-spinner Suyash Sharma comes into the attack. He also strikes in his first over as Shashank attempts a big swing but misses it completely and is bowled for three.

Punjab Kings tottering on 60/6 in the ninth over.

The young Musheer Khan comes in as the Impact Player as he walks in to bat No 8 on his IPL debut.

Musheer defends the first ball he faces before he keeps out the googly as he spots it quite late.

Musheer goes for the big sweep across the line but fails to connect and is struck on the pads to be given out leg before wicket for a duck.

Another poor shot by a Punjab batter results in a wicket as the hosts slip to a lowly 60/7 in the ninth over.

Azmatullah Omarzai walks in at No 9 as he gets off the mark with a single from the last ball.

20:10

Punjab 5 down; RCB in control

Punjab 52-5 (7 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Dayal bowls a cracker to beat Wadhera on the outside edge as the left-hander pushes away from his body before he hits the next into the covers where the fielder half stops to keep it down to two runs.

Dayal cripples Punjab further as he gets Wadhera bowled off an inside edge for 8 as he looks to punch the back of length delivery.

Punjab Kings continue to stumble as they slip to 50/5 in the seventh over.

Shashank Singh looks to counter attack as he comes down the track and has a big swing but the ball goes off the inside half towards midwicket for two runs but can't get a run off the last two balls.

20:06

Hazlewood leaves Punjab in a mess

Punjab 48-4 (6 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Dayal back from the other end as he replaces Bhuvneshwar. He oversteps to concede a no-ball and Nehal Wadhera makes most to slam the free hit back over the bowler's head for a four to release the pressure.

Wadhera flicks a full delivery but can't find the gap at midwicket before he picks a single on the leg side and Inglis keeps strike with one from the last ball.

Hazlewood strikes again in his next over to leave Punjab in further mess.

Inglis pulls his compatriot Hazlewood but straight into the hands of Bhuvneshwar at fine leg to perish for four.

Punjab Kings reeling on 38/4 in the sixth over.

This is the second time that Hazlewood has dismissed Inglis in two innings in six balls.

Marcus Stoinis gets lucky as the inside edge doesn't miss the stumps by much and goes fine on the leg side for a four.

Two balls later, he powerfully pulls Hazlewood high into the stands at midwicket for a huge six but is beaten last ball attempting the same shot.

The Powerplay has gone horribly wrong for Punjab as they find themselves reeling on 48/4 in six overs.

19:54

Shreyas out for 2; Punjab 3 down

Punjab 31-3 (4 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Josh Hazlewood comes into the attack as Dayal is taken off despite taking a wicket.

Inglis collects a single to fine leg before Shreyas is beaten on the outside edge and he hits the next past point for two runs to get off the mark.

Hazlewood strikes in his first over. Shreyas has a big swing across the line but the ball moves away slightly to take the edge as the Punjab Kings captain is dismissed caught behind for 2.

Punjab Kings reeling on 30/3 in the fourth over.

Shreyas continues his poor run with the bat at Mullanpur, having managed just 25 runs in five innings. He has also failed in all three innings against RCB this season with scores of 7, 6 and two.

A dream start for Hazlewood in his comeback game as he concedes four runs in his first over while picking up a wicket.

19:49

Big Blow! Punjab lose both openers

Yash Dayal celebrates the wicket of Priyansh Arya.

Punjab 27-2 (3 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Bhuvneshwar continues as Inglis takes a single before Prabhsimran uses his feet to loft the pacer over mid-off for a boundary.

He comes down the track again next ball to smash it over mid-on this time for another four.

However, Bhuvneshwar has the last laugh as he gets Prabhsimran caught behind for 18.

The young right-hander was done in by Bhuvi's guile. He pulled back his length as Prabhsimran chipped down the track, who had a big swing across the line but only managed the edge to be caught behind for 18.

Punjab in big trouble on 27/2 in three overs.

19:42

Dayal strikes; Punjab lose early wkt

Punjab 18-1 (2 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal from the other end. Prabhsimran picks a single from the first ball before Dayal strikes with the crucial wicket of the in-form Arya.

The left-hander drives without any footwork but straight into the hands of Krunal Pandya in the covers to be dismissed for seven.

Josh Inglis gets off the mark with a single from the first ball he faces. Prabhsimran cuts the short wide delivery behind point as Liam Livingstone makes a diving stop on the boundary to save the four and keep it down to two runs.

Dayal gets the ball to seam away to beat Prabhsimran before he flicks the last ball over the fine leg region for a six.

19:35

RCB opt to bowl vs Kings; Hazlewood back

Punjab 8-0 (1 ov) vs RCB | Scorecard

Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh are the two openers for Punjab Kings, while veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar will open the bowling for RCB.

The first ball is on length but on the line of leg stump as left-hander Arya clips it in the gap through midwicket for two runs to get off the mark and defends the next.

Bhuvneshwar gives width as Arya cuts it past the fielder at point for a boundary and clips the fourth ball for a single.

Beauty from Bhuvneshwar as he gets the ball to move away and beat right-hander Prabhsimran on the outside edge before he pushes the last ball to thirdman for one.

19:12

RCB opt to bowl vs Kings; Hazlewood back

Hazlewood's inclusion has bolstered RCB's bowling line-up, while Punjab have been weakened by the absence of their pacer Marco Jansen.

Hazlewood's role will be crucial against the power-packed Punjab top order including the in-form trio of Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Josh Inglis.

RCB's top order have also been vital to their success. They will take confidence from the fact that they won all seven matches away from home this season.

Check out the playing XIs of the two teams:

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson.

Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlet.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Impact Subs: Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.

19:08

RCB win toss; elect to bowl vs Punjab

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Rajat Patidar has won the toss and elected to bowl against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Thursday.

RCB have made just one change. In a big boost, pacer Josh Hazlewood is back in the playing XI in place of Nuwan Thushara, while Patidar is back as captain after Jitesh Sharma led the team .

Punjab have also been forced to make a change as Marco Jansen has gone back home to join the South Africa team and has been replaced by Azmatullah Omarzai.

18:46

Qualifier 1: Punjab Or RCB? Who Will Win?

RCB and Punjab, who have finished in the top two only twice in IPL history, will be keen to secure a direct ticket to the final.

RCB have made it to the final in three editions -- 2009, 2011 and 2016 -- while Punjab's only final appearance came in 2014.

In fact, there is nothing to separate the two teams; both have their strengths and weaknesses.

They completed the league engagements with the same number of points -- 19 -- although Punjab finished at the top of the points table by virtue of a slightly superior Net Run Rate.

Incidentally, Punjab reached the final when they topped the league stage in 2014, where they lost narrowly to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

New captain Shreyas Iyer has provided Punjab Kings with a calming influence and demonstrated tactical brilliance during tense moments.

The first skipper in IPL history to lead three different franchises to Qualifier 1, the stylish right-hander will be looking to play his third IPL final, having guided Delhi Capitals and KKR to the summit clash in 2020 and 2024 respectively. His captaincy win percentage of 58.53 percent is second-best among IPL skippers.

The astute guidance from Coach Ricky Ponting has also been key to their success this season.

On the other hand, RCB have played four finals so far, but are yet to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.

They have qualified for the playoffs 10 times and made it to the final thrice, a record that testifies to their consistency in the 18-year-old league. Moreover, in four of the last five seasons, they have reached the playoffs before faltering thrice in the Eliminator and once in the Qualifier 2.

Ahead of IPL 2025, the team underwent a massive overhaul as they retained only three players -- Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal from last year's squad.

Despite bringing together a compact squad, RCB's success this season has often hinged on the performances of their key individuals.

The top three batters -- Kohli, Phil Salt and Patidar -- are all solid and explosive and have the ability to take the game away from opponents.

18:35

A high-scoring game on the cards

Welcome to the coverage of the Indian Premier League Qualifier 1 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the New PCA Stadium in Chandigarh on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

The IPL 2025s first Qualifier pits two teams against each other who are still chasing that elusive title.

RCB have reached the playoffs multiple times, but despite flaunting some of the biggest names in T20 cricket, they could not cross the final hurdle yet as they went down in the final in three editions - 2009, 2011, and 2016.

Punjab, on the other hand, entered the final only once, in 2014.

RCB headed into the new season with a transformed squad and renewed hunger.

Although they have had a bad record at home, they were unstoppable on the road, winning the seasons all seven designated away games, the first team to do so in IPL history.

RCB finished with 19 points in 14 matches to finished second on the points table for the first time since 2016.

Their power-packed top-order features three match-winners -- Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and skipper Rajat Patidar.

In Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd, they have too many options to choose from for the slog overs.

Their bowling attack, led by Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal Pandya, has also delivered the goods for them. Although they lack a proven spinner in their ranks, Krunal and the young Suyash Sharma have bowled with a lot of heart.

Table-toppers Punjabs strength lies in their top-order batting.

Priyansh Arya (424 runs) and Prabhsimran Singh (499 runs) have taken the attack to the opponents, and their consistency at the top has been the cornerstone of Punjabs success so far this season.

Keeper-batter Josh Inglis and skipper Shreyas Iyer add stability and versatility to their middle-order. Shreyas will be looking to play his third IPL final with three different teams.

Uncapped Indians Shashank Singh and Nehal Wadhera can apply finishing touches to their innings with their power-hitting abilities.

Although bowling all-rounder Marco Jansens absence will be felt, Kiwi Kyle Jamieson is expected to form a potent new-ball partnership with Arshdeep Singh.

The return of wily leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed their final two league games due to a wrist injury, will be a major boost.

RCB hold a slight edge in head-to-head record against Punjab, having won 17 out of 33 matches played against them.

IPL 2025 Updates: RCB thrash Punjab to storm into final

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