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TATA IPL 2025 Match 34, RCB vs PBKS - Match Report
18 Apr, 2025
TATA IPL 2025 Match 34, RCB vs PBKS - Match Report
17 Apr, 2025
Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by five-wickets in Match 34 of TATA IPL 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Tim David's fighting and explosive 50* (26) went in vain as PBKS' combined bowling effort and Nehal Wadhera's composed finish helped them clinch back to back wins.
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A heavy rain delay reduced the contest to a 14-over-a-side clash with a four-over powerplay at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first against RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
Phil Salt began RCB’s innings on a promising note, dispatching the first ball of the match for a boundary. However, that was the only bright spot in RCB’s powerplay. On the fourth ball of the opening over, Arshdeep Singh struck, dismissing Salt for a brief 4, courtesy of a sharp catch by Josh Inglis. In the third over, Arshdeep delivered once again, this time removing Virat Kohli for just 1, with Marco Jansen taking a brilliant backward running catch.
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RCB’s innings unraveled quickly from there. Wickets continued to fall in rapid succession, and at the end of the fifth wicket, the score read just 33 - the lowest score at the fall of the fifth wicket in IPL 2025. Captain Rajat Patidar tried to anchor the innings with a composed 23 off 18 balls, but he too couldn’t hold on for long, falling to Yuzvendra Chahal. By the end of the ninth over, RCB had slumped to 43/7.
With the top and middle order blown away, the onus fell on Tim David, who was running out of partners. Harpreet Brar, playing his first game of the season, made an immediate impact, picking back-to-back wickets and reducing RCB to 63/9 with only two overs left.
Left with no choice, Tim David took charge. In the final over of the innings, he launched a stunning assault on Harpreet Brar, smashing him for three consecutive sixes to not only notch up his maiden TATA IPL half-century but also lift RCB to a respectable 95/9 in their 14 overs.
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David remained unbeaten on 50 off just 26 deliveries, a valiant, lone stand. The rest of the RCB batters collectively managed 45 runs off 58 balls, highlighting the impact of David’s effort. Despite the collapse, RCB had a fighting total on the board courtesy of David’s valiant and explosive knock.
Chasing 96, PBKS openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya began with caution, crawling to 12/0 after two overs. Prabhsimran looked to shift gears with back-to-back boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the third over, but the veteran pacer struck back immediately.
Priyansh Arya followed a similar pattern in the fourth over, hitting a six off Josh Hazlewood before perishing on the very next ball, once again caught by David. PBKS ended the powerplay at 33/2.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis then looked to rebuild steadily. But Hazlewood, returning for his second spell, delivered a game-changing eighth over. He first had Iyer caught behind by Jitesh Sharma with a sharp delivery and then dismissed Inglis in the same over, bringing RCB back into the game.
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Just as things started tilting RCB's way, Nehal Wadhera turned the tide. After a tough start against Suyash Sharma, he broke free in the ninth and 11th overs, smashing the leggie for two sixes and two fours to release the pressure.
With 17 needed off the final three overs, Bhuvneshwar removed Shashank Singh but Wadhera continued undeterred. He cracked a six and a four to finish off the 12th over, leaving just four runs required off the last two overs.
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Marcus Stoinis sealed the deal with a boundary as PBKS crossed the finish line with 11 balls to spare, winning the game by five wickets. This marked PBKS’ two wins in a row as they climbed up to the second spot in the table with five wins in seven outings.
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