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Arpit Sachdeva

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RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 Qualifier 1

Three talking points from PBKS vs RCB IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 clash

RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 (Image Credits: X)

Royal Challengers Bangalore booked their place in the IPL 2025 final after producing a clinical 8-wicket win against Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025 on Thursday in Chandigarh. A highly anticipated encounter turned out to be a one-sided clash where nothing went in the favour of Punjab Kings. On a good wicket, which provided assistance for fast bowlers, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar invited Punjab Kings to bat first. 

What followed was a sensational bowling performance from Royal Challengers Bangalore as they bundled out the home team for a paltry 101. The pacers had Punjab Kings tottering at 48 for 4 inside the powerplay, while Suyash Sharma ran through the lower-middle order after the first six. 

RCB lost Virat Kohli in the fourth over in the run-chase but Phil Salt made it look like a walk in the park. His unbeaten 56 off 27 balls helped RCB hunt down the target in just 10 overs.

Here's a look at three talking points from PBKS vs RCB IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 encounter: 

  1. Punjab Kings unwilling to change their approach despite wickets falling in cluster 

Punjab Kings are, undeniably, the best batting side in the IPL 2025. They have posted 200-plus scores on numerous occasions and it’s because of their uncapped Indian players performing their absolute best. Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran, Priyansh Arya, and Shashank Singh - all have scored more than 250 runs in the season. However, come the big game against RCB, the inexperience showed up. They came with a clear plan - to attack from the word go. However, the wicket was different this time around and the batters struggled on last two occasions when they played here. RCB were bowling tighter lengths but PBKS, perhaps, had no time to revisit their batting strategy. 

Everyone came and tried to slog the ball out of the park. Prabhsimran had hit two boundaries while stepping down the track to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But he wanted to hit another one in the same over and ended up edging the ball to the keeper. Priyansh was caught straight at the covers. Shreyas Iyer, who had struggled against Hazlewood in T20s, didn’t try to play him out and attempted a wild slog. Extra bounce on the wicket didn’t help as the outside edge flew to the keeper. 

After six overs, PBKS were 48 for 4. However, they continued to attack and paid the price. Shashank Singh also tried to launch one out of the park to Suyash but was nowhere near the line of the ball. Marcus Stoinis looked like he could take the team to a good total. However, he too got into the temptation of hitting a flighted googly out of the park. Once again, missed the line and the ball crashed onto the stumps. 

Punjab had to send Musheer Khan as an impact sub but to no avail. He too looked in a hurry for no reason. Punjab had depth in their batting and, thus, wanted to bat aggressively, just like they had in the entire season. However, after being four down inside the powerplay and Suyash bowling so well in the middle overs, they needed to build a partnership but somehow that message never came from the dugout. 

2. RCB bowlers rip apart Punjab Kings’ batting line-up 

RCB were dancing around at Punjab Kings’ home ground throughout the first innings. That’s how they roll when things go their way. It was just elation and as an opposition team, you sometimes feel disrespected. But that’s what RCB is known for. On a wicket, that had extra bounce and movement, the pacers came out guns blazing. Hazlewood’s arrival coupled with the help from the wicket gave them a rejuvenated energy. They conceded 226 in the last game and bowled out PBKS for 101 today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar consistently bowled at good lengths, while Yash Dayal found swing early on. It was the latter who drew the first blood in the form of Priyansh Arya in the second over of the innings. In the next over, Bhuvneshwar sent the other opener back. 

Josh Hazlewood came in the fourth over and it looked like he never left the team. The Australian pacer bowled consistent lengths with no room for the batter to work with. He once again dismissed Shreyas Iyer- the fifth time in T20s and also had Josh Inglis with a short ball that bounced a little more than the batter expected. Punjab Kings, as a result, lost four wickets inside the powerplay. 

After the powerplay, Suyash Sharma told the crowd that he is built for this stage through a wild gesture. He tempted PBKS batters for big hits with loopy wrong ’uns and got the big wickets of Stoinis and Shashank. All in all, it was a sensational bowling performance from RCB - one that the fans will remember for a long time. 

3. Phil Salt says I’ve got this 

Arshdeep Singh tried to target Virat and Phil Salt with short balls knowing that the wicket had some extra bounce but both the RCB openers played with ease. The duo negated his threat and raced away to 30 for no loss in three overs. Kyle Jamieson, however, had the Punjab crowd up on their seat with a wicket-maiden fourth over. He consistently bowled away swingers to Virat Kohli and the RCB former captain eventually nicked one to the keeper. Punjab got the big wicket and they sensed a little hope. 

However, Phil Salt, on the other hand, was batting on a different wicket, it seemed. He found no trouble with swing, pace and bounce off the surface. Salt exhibited his range- late cuts, pull shots and drives in front of the wicket. He reached his half-century off just 23 balls and guided his team to a comfortable win in the final. 

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