Punjab Kings endured a nightmare outing in the first qualifier against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, as their batting lineup crumbled under relentless pressure. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss proved spot on, with his bowlers delivering a stunning performance.
By the halfway mark, PBKS were tottering at 76 for 7, struggling even to reach the 100-run mark. The tone was set early by Yash Dayal, who removed the dangerous Priyansh Arya in the second over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed it up by sending back Prabhsimran Singh, while Josh Hazlewood struck a huge blow by dismissing captain Shreyas Iyer for just 2 runs in the fourth over.
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The top order was dismantled within the powerplay, and things only worsened from there. Josh Inglis fell before the sixth over ended, and in-form Nehal Wadhera was dismissed by Dayal in the seventh over, reducing PBKS to 50/5.
BOWLED HIM x 2⃣ \|/
Suyash Sharma scalps two HUGE wickets with two brilliant wrong ‘uns 👏#RCB are pumped up! 💪
Updates ▶ https://t.co/FhocIrg42l#TATAIPL | #PBKSvRCB | #Qualifier1 | #TheLastMile | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/1gscWKzFr2
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2025
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) May 29, 2025
Sensing an opportunity to capitalize, Rajat Patidar brought spin into play, and Suyash Sharma turned out to be the trump card. The young leg-spinner made an immediate impact, rattling PBKS with three crucial wickets. In his first over, Suyash dismissed Shashank Singh with a beautiful wrong’un and then removed Musheer Khan off the fifth delivery. His second over saw the end of Marcus Stoinis, who also failed to pick the wrong’un and perished while attempting a big shot.
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While Suyash’s bowling stood out, his celebratory antics drew attention too. After every wicket, he turned to the PBKS dugout, tapped his chest, and pointed to the ground—a bold gesture that seemed to say, “I belong here.” With the pressure mounting and PBKS running out of options, RCB were clearly in command of this crucial knockout clash.
