Arshdeep’s fiery spell derails RCB’s hopes at Chinnaswamy.
New Delhi: Punjab Kings (PBKS) managed to win by 5 wickets against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a very tight encounter during the IPL-2025, held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In spite of the batting woes, Tim David amazed his fans with a miraculous half-century, but the all-around effectiveness by Punjab was able to chase that meager target of 96 runs in merely 12.1 overs.
Collapse of RCB’s Batting.
Winning the toss and opting to bat immediately put RCB under pressure. The two most experienced batters fell cheaply to the early Arshdeep Singh as he struck to leave RCB reeling at 21/2. Captain Rajat Patidar attempted to steady the innings with a quick 23 runs off 18 deliveries, but after his dismissal by Yuzvendra Chahal, things fell apart.
Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Krunal Pandya all contributed poorly, and by the 8th over, RCB were tottering at 42/7. That made all the difference: Tim David, playing a sensational lone hand. His unbeaten 50 off just 26 deliveries included five boundaries and three sixes and lifted RCB to a somewhat respectable 95/9 in their allotted 14 overs.
Marco Jansen (2/10), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/11), and Harpreet Brar (2/25) were the standouts for Punjab with the ball, sharing vital wickets while maintaining pressure all along.
PBKS responds with calm batting.
Chasing 96 was never a daunting task, and yet the RCB bowlers made it interesting. Josh Hazlewood was superb with the ball, picking up three wickets and conceding only 14 runs off his three overs. He dismissed Priyansh Arya (16), Shreyas Iyer (7), and Josh Inglis (14) to give RCB faint hopes of a comeback.
Those hopes were dashed, however, by Nehal Wadhera, who was steady and aggressive and scored 33 not out off 19 deliveries, embellished with three boundaries and three sixes, to take Punjab across without further drama. Marcus Stoinis contributed a brisk 7* off 2 balls to take the chase home in the 13th over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar contributed two wickets to RCB, but the entire bowling effort couldn’t cover them from this abysmal total set by their batters.
Man of the Match—Tim David
In a rarity, the Player of the Match award was given not to the winning team but to losing RCB’s Tim David for an electrifying 50*, which alone saved the team from a complete fiasco. His innings was one of power-hitting coupled with composure and determination, making him the talk of the town.
Key Takeaways
This win was critical for the Punjab Kings, who ascended the standings and showed exceptional discipline in both departments. The bowling assault was swift and efficient, and the batting ensured that the target was chased down with minimal risk.
What happened to RCB was worrisome. Time and time again, they had proved that they were the weakest link at the top and too much of a dependent team on only individual brilliance. They need a fast regrouping, and all issues in the batting department should be taken care of as the tournament enters its final stage.
Going forward, Punjab, the excellent all-around show will surely give the Kings confidence, one they would want to build on. RCB, meanwhile, must introspect and analyze their underperforming batting lineup if they want to be in contention for the playoffs next in IPL 2025.
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