Punjab Kings (PBKS) managed to pull off a thrilling 5-wicket victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a rain-affected match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18. The home team struggled to get going with the bat, posting a mere 95/9 in their allotted 14 overs. Despite a quick and fiery innings from impact substitute Nehal Wadhera, PBKS chased down the target with ease, securing a comfortable win with 11 balls to spare.
Rajat Patidar, RCB’s captain, wasn’t pleased with his team’s batting performance. Reflecting on the loss during the post-match presentation, Patidar pointed out that the batting unit could have done a lot better. He said, “Initially, it was sticking and two-paced, but we could have done far better as a batting unit. Partnerships are important, and we lost wickets in quick intervals. That’s a big lesson for us. We’ve had to make that change due to conditions. The wicket wasn’t that bad; it had been under covers for a long time, which helped their bowlers. Credit goes to them. No matter how the wicket plays, we need to bat well and set a winning total. The bowling unit is doing well, and that’s a big positive. The batters have played with intent, which is pleasing. We can correct some of our mistakes in the batting unit.”
RCB’s Batting Collapse: Electing to bat first after a delayed start, RCB faced immediate trouble. Arshdeep Singh made an impact straight away by dismissing Phil Salt in the first over. The PBKS bowlers continued their dominance, with Arshdeep sending Virat Kohli packing in his second over with a well-directed short ball. The situation worsened for RCB as Liam Livingstone, who has been having a tough IPL 2025 season, tried to counter the movement but ended up hitting a miscued shot that was easily caught by Priyansh Arya.
PBKS’s Steady Chase: In reply, PBKS openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya started cautiously but also mixed aggression into their play. Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early, dismissing Singh for just 13. Josh Hazlewood then put RCB back in the game by removing Arya, reducing PBKS to 32/2. But Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis steadied the ship before Hazlewood took another double-wicket over, giving RCB a glimmer of hope. However, Nehal Wadhera, the impact substitute, changed the game with a quickfire 33* from just 19 balls, hitting Suyash Sharma for a six and a four in consecutive overs, guiding PBKS to a dominant win.
What’s Next: The two teams will clash again on April 20 at the Mullanpur stadium, and RCB will be looking for redemption after this tough loss.
