PBKS vs RCB highlights, IPL 2025 Qualifier 1: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 8-wickets and qualify for the final

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are looking like champions this season. While Punjab Kings too have played some good cricket but it is Bengaluru who just had the aura of championship-winning teams. Given the way the other teams are lining up and the results they are coming from, RCB just have the edge. However, having said they will still want to not facing Mumbai Indians in the final. Though it has only been done once in the history of competition, where a team outside top two has won since the playoff system started, it was against RCB the feat was achieved by SRH, and on contrary, Mumbai is quite a season team in these stages of the tournament.

Phil Salt is playing a cracking innings here. Chases like these couple of wickets fall, they set in panic; however, players like Salt, with their innings, take the game completely away from the opposition. It was Jamieson's last over, Salt went after, and then picked up the momentum and is going with it. The good thing for Punjab is that they have one more opportunity, and it is at the Ahmedabad ground. The trickier part there for them would be Titans qualifying, who are the home team at that venue, and they will be aware of all the pitch conditions that can be produced on that ground.

Kyle Jamieson has found the right length for this wicket. He is bowling his natural Test match length, which has put batter Mayank Agarwal all at sea through the over. Omarzai, who followed up on that over too, did a good job, but Punjab needs a cluster of wickets if they have to pull this game back. We have seen in the first innings, even as we went past the powerplay, the ball was nibbling a bit through the innings for the bowlers. For Punjab, they only have two bowlers who can exploit these conditions to full extent out of which one has not looked out of rhythm hence the onus is on Jamieson to pick up a wicket or two more before he is done with his opening burst.

Well, Kohli's red-ball nemesis Jamieson does have his say in white-ball as well. It was a delivery which was wide outside the off-stump, and Kohli flapped his bat at it, and the keeper took the catch. The wicket did come, but Bengaluru has been able to lay the foundation here. Mayank Agarwal has come into the middle as an impact sub. One good thing about Bengaluru is they did have had their quite share of injuries through the tournament but they did not try to change too many things to accommodate for the players coming in. Having said that the first couple of deliveries against Jamieson Mayank has been all over the place.

Like with the ball, Punjab Kings have started poorly with the ball. They have been all over the place with their lines. Lengths might be optimal for this one, but they have not nailed down the line. The syndrome of wanting to do too much to force that wicket is what causes that erring of length. And RCB, on the other hand, Virat Kohli has been sublime in punishing those poor deliveries. Nothing has gone Punjab's way today. They have just been hyper-aggressive with the bat when they could have taken a moment to reassess with the ball. So far, they have started poorly as well.

Just tried to execute the plan by our coach. Was feeling very good today while bowling. No one wasn't able to read my googlies today, that is what I feel. We just tried to treat it as a normal match, never considered as if we are playing a semi-final. I have worked hard on my bowling.

Romario Shepard has picked up the wickets of Harpreet Brar and Josh Hazlewood, the final one of Omarzai. Punjab Kings have been bundled out for 101 here. They did manage to defend a low total earlier in the year at this very venue; however, today the way RCB have bowled and their body language, it just seems to much of an ask. Also, Punjab are a bowler short, and a lot has to come from Arshdeep Singh. His spell upfront has to set the tone, which Bengaluru batters too will be aware of. It does have a feel of a one-sided affair, but do join us for the second innings, we never know what unfolds in sport.

In addition to putting on an underpar total Punjab Kings are also one bowler short because of the substitution made of Musheer Khan to extend the batting. They have Omarzai, Arshdeep, Jamieson, Stonis, and Brar, who are genuine bowling options that Iyer can turn to rest all can chip in an over here and there, but are not expected to run-through the oppositions. While Punjab will be disgusted with their performance, they will also realise this is not the end of the world and they do have another opportunity to make it to the final. But it is the mental aspect they have to get it right before they go into that one if they do lose today.

Well, it has started to feel like one of those travelling teams who just try to sweep Ashwin and Jadeja miss everything and bundle out for below par totals in Test matches. That is Stoinis, who is the third batter today who tried to hit Syuash across the line and missed it completely and got bowled. Punjab has lost eight wickets. They have Omarzai and Brar in the middle, and they need to take this game as 10 runs at a time. Unless Punjab bats on this one, it is hard to judge if it is all the wicket or just Punjab buckling under pressure. They need to pull off an extraordinary bowling performance today even if they want to compete in the second innings.

Well, Musheer Khan did come in as an impact sub here and has fallen too. It is Syuash Sharma yet again who gets the breakthrough. Was fuller one and Musheer tried to slog sweep and missed the ball completely, and he was trapped in front of the wicket. The umpire did give it out however, it was sent upstairs by the batter, but there were three reds on the ball tracking, and Musheer's stay was only for three balls. Punjab has lost seven wickets. RCB are all over PBKS at the moment. And having said all that, Omarzai has walked into the middle, and he has Stoinis to bat with.

What a T20 bowler Josh Hazlewood has evolved into. Last year, it was Pat Cummins who showed his progress, but this season, Hazlewood has been immaculate. Not just the accuracy with what he has been bowling, but also he has been used in a different role for Bengaluru, which has not happened too often in his T20 career. As we update, leg-spinner Syuash Sharma has come in and picked up the wicket of Shashank Singh. The batter tried to whack one through the leg-side, missed the ball, and the stumps got rattled. Everything Bengaluru is touching here is turning into gold.

Well, Punjab has lost half their side now, and it is Nehal Wadhera. It was a hard length delivery from Yash Dayal which did take off a bit, and Wadhera chopped it onto the stumps. Well, this is Punjab's home ground, but they just are unable to get anything going for themselves, do the Punjab Kings at the moment. They need to build a partnership here. However, whenever they have been trying to do that, Bengaluru have been able to pick one wicket. This has been a superb performance from them so far with the ball. Usually they do tend to use spin after the powerplay, but today Patadir has kept the seamers going, and as we do update, Hazlewood is bowling his third.

While it has been good bowling from Punjab it also has been a scenario of Punjab playing one shot too many at times especially Shreyas Iyer with the wicket offering a bit of assistance to seamers as an experienced player could have been more cautious but that's how the game goes these days no time to reset or play the cautious game see the ball hit the ball is the brand of cricket teams go with. However, with three down, it does become inevitable that they try and build a partnership here. Both Nehal Wadhera and Jos Inglis are quite calm-tempered and quality players, and they can deliver what Punjab needs at this point in time. Well as we update Hazlewood picks Inglis.

After the fall of Prabhsimran Singh did play a few brave shots coming down the track and trying to upset the rhythm of Bhuvneshwar Kumar however the vetran bowler was too smart and pulled his length back but Prabshimran once again tried to come down the track and whack one down the ground however, the misjudgement in the length took the edge of the bat and Jitesh completed the catch. As per Arya, earlier, it was a soft dismissal. The batter drove straight to cover fielder Krunal Pandya in the air. This is a bit of a concerning start for Punjab; they have lost two, and as we update, Josh Hazlewood has picked up Shreyas Iyer.

We are done with the opening over here. Bhuvenshwar Kumar has taken the new ball, and he did find a bit of swing in it. Both Prabhsimran and Priyansh were up to the task as well. Looks like a good wicket this one. There might be some seam moment in the initial overs, but once the ball loses a bit of shine, we might see batters enjoying batting on these conditions. We have seen RCB concede a lot of runs in the last couple of games, which they cannot afford today because of the magnitude of the game. Rajat Patidar has to be quite clever with his bowling changes. As we update Yash Dayal picks up Priyansh Arya.

It was a run chase for the ages (vs LSG). It was a very good wicket in Lucknow. The way the middle-order came out and finished the job after we set it up, was almost what you dream of while chasing a big score like that. I think we have no choice but to do that. The way the cards have fallen for us, there's no time for think about anything else than finish the game. Need to recover, get on the plane and need to get going once again. It's nice to get to this stage of the competition, regardless who you are playing for. As a player this is where you want to be, it's really exciting. Good to have Hazlewood back, hopefully he picks up where he left off.

The square boundaries are 62m and 65m respectively, it's 73m straight down the ground. It is deceptively a biggish venue. This pitch was used twice before this season. In the night game, 200+ was scored, while 150-plus was scored in the day game. The pitch has got a lot of grass, so it will help the batters as the ball will come on to the bat nicely. There's a lot of grass at one end for the fast bowlers, but it will only help the ball come on to the bat better. At the other end, the length where spinners might pitch the ball, there's very less grass on that particular area. So it might slow down a little bit for the spinners. There's a bit of moisture in the air, so there will be a little bit of dew as well. Out of the four games, three games were won by the team batting first, those were all night games. The only game that was won by the team batting second was the day game.

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

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

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

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

We will bowl first. Wicket looks very hard, decent covering of grass and will try to maximise the first few overs. Everyone gave more than 100 percent in the last game, Jitesh Salt and Kohli they were tremendous. One change for us. Hazlewood comes in place of Thushara.

Would have bowled first as well. If you look at the record here, teams batting first have done well, so I am optimistic. They (the crowd) have been tremendous and you need such kind of vibration when you enter the ground and it gives us a lot of energy as well. The way they (openers) have been showing the fearless approach and the attitude has been brilliant. Marco goes out and Azmatullah comes in for him.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) is built on an aggressive batting lineup, featuring uncapped Indian openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh who consistently contribute. The team has deep hitting power with players like Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis, and strong form from Shreyas Iyer (a top-10 run-scorer) and Shashank Singh. Their bowling attack is led by an evolving Arshdeep Singh, with all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai providing a dual threat, and Impact Substitutes like Vijaykumar Vyshak and Harpreet Brar delivering match-winning performances.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have a new injection of ambition, largely due to Ricky Ponting as head coach, who doesn't tolerate mediocrity. Captain Shreyas Iyer, fresh off a title win last season, is leading by example with the bat. His game has evolved, showing improved handling of short-pitched deliveries, and his captaincy has added a new dimension, focusing on finishing games for the team.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is finding success with a less high-profile leadership duo in Rajat Patidar and Andy Flower, which has helped them become a less top-heavy team. Their batting approach is now more collective; while Phil Salt opens, the focus isn't on one star player batting through. This was evident in their win against Lucknow Super Giants, where Jitesh Sharma and Mayank Agarwal sealed a big chase even after Virat Kohli's early dismissal, highlighting the team's newfound depth.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has significantly altered their historical "galacticos" approach this season, moving away from an almost exclusive reliance on marquee batsmen like Gayle, de Villiers, and Watson. While Virat Kohli remains central, the team is now more well-rounded, having heavily invested in a potent bowling attack. Key bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal have stepped up, making a balanced bowling unit a crucial factor in their success this season.

This Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), known for their loyal but often heartbroken fanbase after three lost IPL finals, face Punjab Kings (PBKS), the league's perennial underperformers who haven't reached the playoffs in over a decade. Despite their contrasting histories of disappointment, both teams have remarkably secured a top-two finish this season. This crucial match offers either side a golden opportunity to get within reach of their maiden IPL title, with the added incentive of a second chance for the losing team to make the final.

It's going to be a hot evening in Chandigarh. Recent days have been warm and dry, and the forecast for the match day is no different. Temperatures are expected to hover around 30 degrees Celsius, with no rain in the forecast.

The Mullanpur pitch is unpredictable. While the average score is 173, there's been wild variation from 200+ totals to scores below 100. Teams batting first have a strong advantage, winning 3 out of 4 matches. In the last match here, on April 20, RCB chased down PBKS's 157/6 easily, winning by seven wickets.

"We have a camaraderie from the last few years, he (Ponting) lets me be decisive on the field, all these things have culminated in a great way. Ecstatic that everything is working." 

"I can't express my thoughts, I was thinking about just staying in the present. When Virat got out I thought of taking the game deep and that is what my mentor (Dinesh Karthik) tells me.. that the kind of calibre I have, I can finish the game from any situation."

Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara/Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

“The first thing to say is Virat’s business as usual, as he always is. There’s enough of the public and the nation’s attention on him, and he doesn’t want any more of that. He’s ambitious about what we can achieve this year with RCB and that’s what he does,” said Bobat during a pre-match press conference.

Wooden-spoon holders Chennai Super Kings' silver lining Noor Ahmad sits on top of wicket-taking charts with 24 scalps in 14 matches. GT's pace mainstay Prasidh Krishna slipped to second after leading the Purple Cap race throughout. He has 23 wickets in as many games.  Mumbai Indians' Trent Boult (19), Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Josh Hazlewood and Punjab Kings' Arshdeep Singh (both 18 wickets) occupy the third, fourth and fifth spots. 

GT opener Sai Sudharsan continues to lead the run charts, scoring 679 in 14 innings. Sitting second is his opening partner and skipper Shubman Gill, who has amassed 649 in as many innings. Mumbai Indians' prolific batter Suryakumar Yadav, with 640 runs while averaging over 70, is third. Mitch Marsh and Virat Kohli occupy the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.  

Shashank recounted how Ponting and Iyer had made their intentions clear from day 1 of the season itself, emphasising that every member of the Punjab Kings contingent will be treated with equal respect and maintained their word.

“Day 1, Ricky Ponting and Shreyas both told us. Like, they will treat Yuzvendra Chahal, maybe the most senior player, and our bus driver the same. I mean, this is something and they have maintained this,” said Shashank at the post-match press conference in Jaipur.

“They have shown the same respect to Yuzvendra Chahal and to our bus driver, which says a lot about the team,” he added.

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When Royal Challengers Bengaluru conceded 227/3 against Lucknow Super Giants, a top-two finish looked out of reach. On probably the most important night of their campaign, which would determine whether they had two shots at making the final or faced Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, they were all over the place in the field. But through their batting unit that has landed plenty of punches through this season, they managed to get back on their feet with Jitesh Sharma carrying them into Qualifier I in Mullanpur, where Punjab Kings await them.

READ VENKATA KRISHNA B's FULL MATCH REPORT

Punjab Kings finished on top of the points table for the first time since 2014, where they lost the final to Kolkata Knight Riders. Royal Challengers Bengaluru recorded their highest run-chase against Lucknow Super Giants in the last league game of IPL 2025 to finish second. GT and MI will play Eliminator after finishing third and fourth respectively. 

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru — 7/7 in IPL 2025
• Mumbai Indians — 7/8 in IPL 2012
• Kolkata Knight Riders — 7/8 in IPL 2012
• Gujarat Titans — 6/7 in IPL 2023
• Delhi Daredevils — 6/8 in IPL 2012

As Punjab Kings sealed their top-two spot in the Indian Premier League, there by enabling two shots in the play-offs to enter the final, their head coach Ricky Ponting has warned ‘they haven’t achieved anything yet’. Having been a perennially under-achieving side, Punjab under new captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ponting have made their first play-offs since 2014, which was the last time they made the final as well.

Having started the tournament on a strong note, they have ended it on a high note as well, defeating Mumbai Indians in their last league match to move top of the table. Speaking of the campaign so far, Ponting said only one-half of his vision has been achieved as yet. “I’m obviously very pleased for the group,” Ponting told the host broadcasters after the match. “It’s a lot of hard work that goes into being able to achieve something like this as a team. I think it’s pretty obvious to see that this is a really talented team that are all on the same page and heading in the same direction. I mean yeah, it’s a great achievement till now but really, if you look back, we haven’t achieved anything yet. That’s the one thing I’ve been saying to the players since the moment we qualified,” he added.

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• Matches played: 35
• PBKS won: 18
• RCB won: 17
• No Result: 0
• Last result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 7 Wickets (April, 2025)

Which channel will broadcast the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match?

• IPL 2025 Qualifier 1, Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network on May 29, Thursday.

Where to catch the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match Live Streaming in India?

• The live streaming of IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.

PBKS Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.

RCB Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara/Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett, Praveen Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Tim Seifert, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Blessing Muzarabani, Tim David, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh. 

And the endgame begins today! Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru weren't flawless this season. But the two teams that managed their shortcomings the best have made it to the top 2, fittingly deserving tonight's stage in Chandigarh. The wait has crossed a decade for the Kings to reach this position again and under the stable leadership of Iyer and coach Ponting, they seem to be firm contenders for a maiden title. At the other end are the perennial challengers from Bengaluru, who have come up short recently but seem spirited to end the long drought this time.