- The Qualifier 2 will be played between Punjab and winner of Eliminator (MI vs GT)
- The final of 18th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) will take place on June 3 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
NE SPORTS BUREAU
MULLANPUR, MAY 29
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marched in the grand finale of 18th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2025). Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets in the first qualifier of IPL 2025 to book a place in the final. In the match played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday (May 29), Rajat Patidar won the toss and invited Punjab Kings to bat first, after which the Shreyas Iyer-led side could only manage to post a total of 101 runs on the board in 14.1 overs.
Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma picked up three wickets each for the Bengaluru-based franchise, and two PBKS batters were sent back to the dugout by Yash Dayal.
RCB lost Virat Kohli for 12 runs in the run chase, but thanks to Phil Salt’s unbeaten fifty, they achieved the target of 102 runs in 10 overs for the loss of two wickets.
RCB chased down the target with 60 balls to spare, and 60 balls remaining is the biggest victory margin while chasing in IPL playoffs/knockout matches. RCB bettered KKR’s record of 57 balls against SRH in the 2024 IPL final.
An elated RCB Captain, Rajat Patidar, said: “I think we were clear in our plans, especially in terms of how we needed to bowl. The fast bowlers used the surface really well. The way Suyash chipped in, sticking to his lines and lengths, was really impressive. As a captain, I am very clear about his role with the ball. He has to target the stumps – that is his strength. His wrong’un is difficult for batters to read. I always try to give him clear instructions because I do not want to confuse him. I am okay if he concedes a few runs in the process.
The way Phil Salt has been batting throughout the tournament, the way he gives us quick starts – I am a big fan of his. It is a treat to watch him from the dugout. I always want to thank the RCB fans. Wherever we go, it feels like we are playing at our home ground. Please keep supporting us.”
Phil Salt, following his unbeaten half century of 56 not out runs in 27 balls, said, “It is a great feeling right now. The ball did move a bit, but I do not think this was the worst wicket we have played on this season. During the chase, all I was thinking was, ‘Do not get out to Arshdeep.’ We have played two group games against Punjab Kings and he has managed to dismiss me in different ways, so I was just focused on reacting to the ball. Before the game, I told Andy (Flower) that all the travel and breaks between matches might actually be a blessing in disguise for us. This win gives us momentum. It is a bit of a cliché, but it is true. At the back end of the tournament, that is exactly what you want – to find form and contribute with the bat or ball.”
Player of the Match, Suyash Sharma with figures of 3/17, said: “I just tried to execute the plan given by our coach and was feeling really good while bowling today. I felt like no one was able to read my googlies, which gave me a lot of confidence. As a team, we treated it like any other match and didn’t put pressure on ourselves by thinking of it as a semi-final. The coaches have given me one role, which is to attack the stumps.”
Uncapped Indian spinner Suyash Sharma was the standout performer for RCB on Thursday. The Delhi-based cricketer, who was part of KKR in IPL 2024, finished with figures of 3 for 17 in three overs. He opened his wicket account by breaching Shashank Singh’s defence on the second ball of the ninth over of PBKS’ innings, and then on the fifth ball of that same over, he trapped Musheer Khan in front of the wickets. While Shashank scored three runs from five balls, Musheer made a three-ball duck on his IPL debut. In his next over, Suyash clean bowled Marcus Stoinis, who top-scored for PBKS.
For his super bowling show, Suyash won the Player of the Match award.
The IPL 2025 final will take place on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RCB will face the winner of Qualifier 2, which will take place on June 1.
Meanwhile, the Qualifier 2 will be played between Punjab and winner of Eliminator (MI vs GT).
Including IPL 2025, RCB made it to the final four times, Bengaluru qualified for the IPL playoffs 10 times between 2009 and 2025. Despite making it to the final on earlier 3 occasions—2009, 2011, and 2016—they have fallen short each time, finishing as runners-up in all three appearances.
