Home
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) 17-year-long trophy-less jinx finally came to and as they crushed Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final played at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3.
RCB first posted a daunting target of 191 runs and then successfully defended it to taste their first IPL title in 18 years.
Krunal Pandya's exceptional bowling performance, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs, played a crucial role in stifling the Punjab Kings' batting lineup. This ultimately paved the way for Virat Kohli to finally realize his long-cherished dream of holding all major cricket trophies. Having already won the World Cup, the World T20, and the Champions Trophy, Kohli can now proudly add the IPL championship to his illustrious career, a title that had eluded him until this memorable night of June 3, 2025.
For the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the journey to this championship has been long and filled with near misses. Many legendary players, including Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, and even Virat Kohli himself, had given their all but couldn't lead RCB to the coveted title. This year, however, under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, the 32-year-old in his first year as captain, RCB finally crossed the finish line, etching Patidar's name in the franchise's history books.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium, a venue known for its chase-friendly conditions where 200-plus run targets have been overcome with relative ease, RCB deserves immense credit for successfully defending a total that was 10 runs short of 200. Considering the confident start provided by Punjab Kings' openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, the target initially seemed far from daunting. However, Captain Patidar's strategic deployment of his spinners proved to be a masterstroke, causing a significant shift in momentum. After reaching 72 for 1 in the ninth over, PBKS experienced a rapid collapse, falling to 98 for 4 in less than four overs, with Krunal Pandya leading the charge. Despite a valiant half-century from Shashank Singh towards the end, which unfortunately came a little too late, Punjab Kings ultimately fell short, finishing at 184, just six runs shy of the target.
Punjab Kings commenced their chase with aggressive intent, as openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh capitalized on any loose deliveries. Arya set the tone early, hitting a boundary in Bhuvneshwar Kumar's first over, and Prabhsimran punctuated it with a towering six. Yash Dayal's second over proved expensive, conceding runs through a fortunate boundary and a leg-bye four. While Josh Hazlewood managed to tighten things up in the third over, the early momentum remained with PBKS. The Australian pacer struck in the fifth over, dismissing Arya, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's economical fourth over helped to keep the run rate somewhat in check. By the end of the powerplay, Inglis injected further aggression into the PBKS innings with a six in the sixth over, although RCB missed an opportunity to review a decision.
Looking to disrupt the flow of the innings, RCB introduced spin, and Krunal Pandya bowled a tight seventh over, stifling the PBKS batsmen. Suyash Sharma was then brought into the attack, and Inglis and Prabhsimran managed to break free, each hitting a six. However, Krunal Pandya struck back, dismissing Prabhsimran, and the pressure intensified when Romario Shepherd delivered a crucial blow, removing Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. Inglis continued to keep PBKS in the game, punishing short deliveries with another six in Shepherd's 12th over. The game swung decisively in RCB's favour when Krunal Pandya dismissed Inglis on the first ball of the 13th over, caught by Liam Livingstone at long-on.
With all eyes now on Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, Punjab Kings' last recognized batting pair, the required run rate began to climb sharply. Despite a couple of powerful hits, they couldn't inflict significant damage. With the required run rate nearing 16 runs per over, the 17th over, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, was poised to be a game-changer for Punjab. And indeed, it was, as Bhuvneshwar dismissed both Nehal Wadhera and Marcus Stoinis within the span of three deliveries. Belief surged through the RCB players and their passionate fans. Even the legendary AB de Villiers, who was in the commentary box, rushed out to stand near the boundary, a testament to the tension and excitement of the moment.
RCB's batting lineup, despite the presence of the experienced Virat Kohli, struggled to build consistent momentum against a disciplined bowling attack from the Punjab Kings. The innings commenced with an aggressive start from Phil Salt, who smashed a six and a four off Arshdeep Singh in the opening over, quickly taking the score to 13 for no loss. However, Punjab Kings' bowler Kyle Jamieson struck early, dismissing Salt for 16 in the second over.
Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal then worked to stabilize the innings, guiding RCB to 59 for 1 by the end of the powerplay. Agarwal played with fluency, finding the boundary with ease, including an impressive aerial cover drive off Vijaykumar Vyshak. However, Yuzvendra Chahal managed to shift the momentum by dismissing Agarwal. Kohli, adopting a more reserved anchor role, found it difficult to accelerate his scoring, managing only three boundaries with a strike rate of 123.08. RCB captain Rajat Patidar injected some much-needed impetus with a six off Chahal, but his aggressive intentions were short-lived as he was dismissed by a slower yorker from Jamieson. Azmatullah Omarzai further dented RCB's hopes by dismissing Kohli with a well-directed short delivery that the batsman top-edged.
The middle order faltered as both Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma failed to capitalize on their starts. Jitesh briefly sparked hopes with two sixes off Jamieson, including a remarkable scoop over the wicketkeeper, but his dismissal in the 18th over left RCB in a precarious position at 171 for 6. A late cameo from Romario Shepherd, who hit a four and a six in the 19th over, kept RCB's hopes of reaching the 200-run mark alive. However, Arshdeep Singh's sensational final over decisively turned the game in Punjab Kings' favour.
Arshdeep Singh, despite having conceded runs earlier in the innings, redeemed himself with a match-defining 20th over. He dismissed the dangerous Romario Shepherd on the second ball, followed by Krunal Pandya two balls later, and capped off his impressive over by dismissing Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the final delivery, finishing with a total of three wickets.
ADVERTISEMENT
