Bengaluru /Delhi, 19 April (H.S.): Punjab Kings (PBKS) achieved a significant victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by five wickets in Match 34 of TATA IPL 2025 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Despite Tim David's impressive unbeaten 50 off 26 balls, RCB's batting lineup faltered against PBKS's disciplined bowling, particularly after a rain delay reduced the match to 14 overs per side.

PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl first. RCB’s innings began with promise as Phil Salt struck a boundary off the first ball. However, it quickly turned disastrous for RCB when Salt was dismissed for just 4 runs by Arshdeep Singh, who also took the prized wicket of Virat Kohli for 1, with Marco Jansen executing a stunning catch. RCB's innings continued to collapse, with wickets tumbling rapidly, and they reached a meager 33 for five wickets, marking the lowest score at that stage in IPL 2025.

Though captain Rajat Patidar contributed a cautious 23 off 18 balls, he also fell to Yuzvendra Chahal, leaving RCB in dire straits at 43 for 7 by the ninth over. Harpreet Brar, making his season debut, made a critical impact for PBKS by taking two quick wickets, pushing RCB to 63 for 9. Ultimately, Tim David was left with limited support as PBKS's bowlers dismantled the RCB batting order. The combination of PBKS's bowling prowess and Nehal Wadhera's clinical finishing ensured their second consecutive win in the tournament.

David's impressive unbeaten 50 off just 26 balls stood out as a lone effort for RCB, whose other batters combined for merely 45 runs off 58 deliveries, underscoring the significance of his performance. Despite this batting collapse, David's explosive innings helped RCB set a fighting total.

In their chase of 96, PBKS openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya started cautiously, managing only 12 runs without loss after two overs. Prabhsimran attempted to accelerate with back-to-back boundaries against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the third over, but the veteran bowler responded effectively. Arya also looked to attack, hitting a six off Josh Hazlewood, but fell to a catch by David on the next delivery, leaving PBKS at 33/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis aimed to stabilize the innings. However, Hazlewood made a pivotal impact in the eighth over, dismissing Iyer caught behind and following it up with Inglis's wicket, swinging momentum in RCB's favor. Just as RCB seemed to gain the upper hand, Nehal Wadhera shifted the tide with an aggressive knock, hitting two sixes and two fours off Suyash Sharma and easing the pressure.

With 17 runs needed from the last three overs, Bhuvneshwar took out Shashank Singh, but Wadhera remained unfazed. He scored a six and a four, reducing the chase to just four runs with two overs left. Marcus Stoinis then struck a boundary to ensure PBKS crossed the line with 11 balls to spare, marking their second consecutive victory and moving them to second place in the standings with five wins from seven matches.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar