Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 5 wickets in the 34th match of IPL 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was a rain-affected match, and 14 overs were allotted to each side.Punjab Kings bowled well and did not allow any batsman to score freely. Tim David scored a brilliant half-century and helped RCB post a respectable total on the board. Punjab Kings started confidently, lost their way in the middle overs, but Nehal Wadhera played a blazing knock and ensured victory for Punjab Kings.
RCB Lost Early Wickets
Punjab Kings won the toss and chose to field. Phil Salt and Virat Kohli opened the innings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Arshdeep Singh started the bowling for PBKS. Salt hit a boundary on his first scoring shot but fell on the fourth delivery. Arshdeep struck early. Rajat Patidar walked in at No. 3. He opened his account with a boundary. RCB reached 9/1 after the first over. Xavier Bartlett bowled the second over. Patidar smashed a six on the fifth ball. RCB scored 10 runs in that over. In the third over, Arshdeep dismissed Kohli. Liam Livingstone came in at No. 4. However, PBKS gave away just 2 runs and took a wicket in the over. After 3 overs, RCB were 21/2.
Bartlett continued the momentum by removing Livingstone at the end of the fourth over. He managed only 4 runs. RCB stood at 26/3. Jitesh Sharma came next. Marco Jansen bowled a tight fifth over, conceding just 3 runs. Chahal bowled the sixth over and removed Jitesh for 2 runs. Only 4 runs came from the over. RCB slumped to 33/4. Patidar was on 21 off 15 balls, while Krunal Pandya had just arrived.
Punjab Kings Dominate With the Ball
Jansen struck again in the 7th over, dismissing Krunal Pandya on the first ball. Tim David entered and got off the mark with a boundary. Only 6 runs and a wicket came from the over. RCB fell to 39/5.
Chahal continued the attack and took Patidar’s wicket. He made 23 runs off 18 balls. Manoj Bhandage came in next. Another tight over followed — 3 runs and a wicket. RCB slid to 42/6 after 8 overs.
Jansen returned and dismissed Bhandage in the 9th over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in. RCB struggled at 43/7 after 9 overs. Chahal bowled the 10th and gave just 4 runs. RCB were 47/7 with Tim David and Bhuvneshwar trying to survive.
Tim David Fights Back
In the 11th over, Arshdeep faced Tim David’s counterattack. David hit boundaries on the first and third deliveries. RCB crossed 50. The over yielded 12 runs. Harpreet Brar bowled the 12th.
Bhuvneshwar hit a boundary but fell on the next ball. Brar also removed Yash Dayal in the same over. RCB reached 63/9. Josh Hazlewood joined David at the crease.
Bartlett bowled the 13th. David struck two boundaries, and RCB added 11 runs. Brar bowled the final over. David hit three consecutive sixes on the last three balls. A no-ball gave him an extra delivery, on which he completed his maiden IPL fifty.
RCB ended at 95/9. Tim David remained unbeaten on 50 off 26 balls. Hazlewood stayed not out on 0.
Punjab Kings Begin the Chase
PBKS needed 96 runs to win. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh opened the chase. Bhuvneshwar bowled a tight first over, conceding only 3 runs. Yash Dayal bowled the second. The batters focused on singles. Priyansh ended the over with a boundary. In the third over, Prabhsimran hit two back-to-back boundaries but got out on the fourth ball. He made 13 off 9 balls. Shreyas Iyer came in next. PBKS stood at 23/1 after 3 overs.
RCB Tries to Fight Back
Josh Hazlewood bowled the fourth over. Priyansh hit a six but got out on the next ball for 16. Josh Inglis joined at No. 4. PBKS moved to 33/2 after 4 overs. Yash Dayal gave only 3 runs in the 5th over. Krunal Pandya bowled the sixth. Inglis responded with back-to-back boundaries. After 6 overs, PBKS were at 46/2. Iyer was on 4, Inglis on 12.
Suyash Sharma bowled the 7th and conceded just 4 runs. PBKS crossed 50. Singles and doubles were key. Hazlewood returned in the 8th and took two wickets. He removed Iyer for 7 and Inglis for 14. PBKS were at 53/4.
Wadhera’s Firepower Seals the Victory
Shashank Singh came in next. Wadhera ended the 9th over with a boundary and a six. Hazlewood bowled the 10th and gave away only 2 runs. PBKS stood at 65/4. Wadhera was on 11, Shashank on 1.
Wadhera took charge in the 11th over. He smashed a six, got 4 byes, and then hit a boundary. PBKS reached 80/4. Bhuvneshwar came back and dismissed Shashank for 1. Marcus Stoinis joined Wadhera. Wadhera hit a six and a four to end the over. PBKS reached 92/5. Stoinis sealed the game with a six on the first ball of the 13th over. Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets.