Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) outclassed Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on May 29, Thursday.
Chasing 102 runs, Bengaluru were in total control throughout the second innings, easing past the total in just 10 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Phil Salt (56* runs off 27 balls) smashed a half-century, taking RCB to the final of the IPL 2025, which will be their first since 2016.
Phil Salt’s Half-Century Helps RCB Confirm Their Spot in IPL 2025 FinalÂ
Salt annihilated the Punjab Kings bowling attack. While Virat Kohli (12 runs off 12 balls) scored two boundaries against Arshdeep Singh in the first over, he poked at an outgoing delivery in the fourth over bowled by Kyle Jamieson as PBKS believed.
This was the same venue where they defended 111 runs versus Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Shreyas Iyer-led side wanted to take inspiration from that game but to do that again, it needed a special effort from their bowlers.
Salt poured water on whatever little hopes PBKS had after Kohli's dismissal. The Englishman first cracked two fours off Azmatullah Omarazi in the fifth over.Â
The final nail in the coffin came in the sixth over when Jamieson was treated with three back-to-back boundaries, including a six, by Salt. The over yielded 21 runs as RCB scored 61 runs the powerplay for the loss of one wicket.
Salt tonked another six of Harpreet Brar in the seventh over, aiming to complete the run-chase in a hurry.
Mayank Agarwal (19 runs off 13 balls), who was troubled by Jamieson in the first few deliveries, took down Musheer Khan, smacking a six and a four. But the debutant got his revenge by ultimately dismissing Agarwal.
Salt brought up his fifty in 23 deliveries, his fastest in the IPL so far.Â
Captain Rajat Patidar (15* runs off 8 balls) hit the winning runs, closing the match with a six in 10 overs.
This is now the biggest win in an IPL playoff match in terms of balls remaining.
RCB Advance to Final, PBKS to Play Qualifier 2
As RCB slaughtered Punjab, they will now play the final of IPL 2025 scheduled at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3. It is going to be their biggest match in over a decade. Their last appearance in an IPL final came in 2016.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will also head to Ahmedabad where they will feature in the Qualifier 2. They will face the winner of the Eliminator scheduled between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mullanpur on Friday.
To know more about today's IPL 2025 match between PBKS and RCB:
Click here for PBKS vs RCB live match commentary
