TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: At the innings break, Punjab Kings (PBKS) players posed for the camera. The moment their faces hit the big screens, it told the story of the 85 minutes they had just endured against a charged-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL playoffs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.The faces of the Punjab Kings players said it all — battered, dejected, bruised, and in complete disbelief at what had just hit them. The stars of the show? The RCB bowlers.After being put in to bat first, PBKS were annihilated by the RCB attack, bundled out for just 101 in 14.1 overs. Everything RCB touched on the night turned to gold — barring one bizarre review.RCB were simply outstanding with the ball, and every bowler chipped in. Whether it was Yash Dayal (2/26), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/17), Josh Hazlewood (3/21), Suyash Sharma (3/17), or Romario Shepherd (1/5) — they hunted down the PBKS batters like a pack of wolves. Their execution, aggression, and fielding intensity completely smothered Punjab.RCB put their bodies on the line, executed every plan to perfection, and brought relentless energy onto the field — putting PBKS into a deep sleep.
While RCB’s bowlers were top-class, Punjab contributed heavily to their own downfall with some atrocious cricket. There were plenty of soft dismissals, a flurry of rash shots, and the end result was plain for all to see.PBKS were in such a hurry, they lasted only 14.1 overs in a 20-over innings — the shortest batting innings in IPL playoff history. The previous low was Delhi Capitals’ 16.1 overs against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2008 semifinal.Only Prabhsimran Singh, Marcus Stoinis, and Azmatullah Omarzai managed to reach double digits, with Stoinis top-scoring with a 17-ball 26.The collapse began with the soft dismissal of Priyansh Arya, who had punished deliveries outside off stump throughout the tournament. But playing away from the body to a ball with extra bounce, he checked his shot and offered a simple catch to Krunal Pandya at cover. Prabhsimran and Shreyas Iyer followed with identical hoicks to keeper Jitesh Sharma.Josh Hazlewood, returning from an injury layoff, picked up three big wickets — Shreyas Iyer, Josh Inglis, and Azmatullah Omarzai.Suyash Sharma, who hadn’t been at his best in recent matches, spun a web around Punjab’s lower middle order — removing Shashank Singh, impact sub Musheer Khan (for a duck), and the big fish, Marcus Stoinis.
Romario Shepherd came in to bowl the 14th over and capped it off by breaking Harpreet Brar’s off stump, summing up PBKS’s horror evening with the bat.Chasing a modest total, RCB were off the blocks like they had a flight to catch to Ahmedabad that very night. Riding on Phil Salt’s 27-ball 56, they chased it down with eight wickets in hand and 60 balls to spare. The win helped RCB cruise into the IPL 2025 final.Arshdeep Singh leaked 24 runs from his first two overs. The lanky Kyle Jamieson briefly brought the silent Punjab Kings fans back into the game after dismissing Virat Kohli — in similar fashion to the way he got him out during the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2021 at Southampton. Extra bounce from a short-of-length delivery outside off did the trick again, with Kohli edging behind for Josh Inglis to complete the catch.The wicket didn’t deter Phil Salt, who was at his attacking best, smashing PBKS bowlers all around the park. The winning six came off skipper Rajat Patidar’s bat.Punjab Kings will now face the winner of Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2, while RCB will enjoy a break and wait to play the final on June 3.
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