Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) registered a commanding seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2025 clash at the New PCA Stadium in Chandigarh.
Chasing 158, RCB cruised to victory in 18.5 overs, thanks to explosive innings from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.
Both batters reached their half-centuries, with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 71 off 54 balls and Padikkal scoring a quickfire 61 off 35.
Their dominant partnership laid the foundation for an easy chase.
Earlier, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first. Despite a strong start from PBKS, the momentum of the Kings were derailed by RCB’s bowlers who applied pressure throughout.
PBKS were eventually restricted to 157 for 6, with spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma playing key roles.
With this win, RCB move up to third on the points table, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Earlier, spinners Krunal Pandya (2/25) and Suyash Sharma (2/26) turned the tide in RCB's favour, picking up key wickets and breaking Punjab’s rhythm. Romario Shepherd also struck in his very first over in his first appearance of the season.
Opener Prabhsimran Singh was the top scorer for PBKS with an explosive 33 off 17 balls, however, regular breakthroughs prevented PBKS from building any strong partnerships.
After a disappointing performance in their previous encounter, where they were bowled out for just 95 in a rain-shortened 14-over match, RCB bounced back in style.
In the previous game, only Tim David showed some resistance, while the rest of the batting line-up - including Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, skipper Rajat Patidar, and Liam Livingstone - failed to fire in front of the home crowd. But this time, RCB made a strong statement, comfortably chasing down the target and settling scores with Punjab Kings.
Playing XI
Punjab Kings - Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal