Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans erupted in celebration on Thursday evening as their team secured a dominant eight-wicket victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur, booking a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final. This will be RCB's fourth appearance in an IPL final and the first since 2016. They ended up second-best on all three occasions.
Among those celebrating the big win was Virat Kohli’s sister, Bhawna Kohli Dhingra, who took to Instagram to share her excitement.
Shortly after RCB's emphatic win, Bhawna posted an Instagram Story with a “Finals” stickeraccompanied by an amulet emoji believed to protect against the evil eye. The post signified her pride and joy over the team’s stellar performance and her wish to end the 18-year-long wait for an IPL title.
RCB, who opted to bowl first, dismantled the PBKS top order in the powerplay, reducing them to 48/4. Key contributions came from Josh Hazlewood (3/21), Suyash Sharma (3/17), and Yash Dayal (2/26), as PBKS were restricted to a modest 101 in 14.1 overs.
Despite early setbacks in the chase with the dismissals of Virat Kohli (12) and Mayank Agarwal (19), Phil Salt played a blistering knock of 56* off just 27 balls. Captain Rajat Patidar (15*) supported him to take the team home in just 10 overs with eight wickets in hand.
{{/usCountry}}Despite early setbacks in the chase with the dismissals of Virat Kohli (12) and Mayank Agarwal (19), Phil Salt played a blistering knock of 56* off just 27 balls. Captain Rajat Patidar (15*) supported him to take the team home in just 10 overs with eight wickets in hand.
{{/usCountry}}Suyash Sharma was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-winning spell.
After the match, RCB captain Rajat Patidar hailed Suyash Sharma's performance. “I think we were clear in our plans, how we have to bowl. I think the fast bowlers used the surface really well. The way Suyash chipped in, the way he bowled his lines and lengths, that was really good. As a captain, I am clear about his bowling. He has to target the stumps, that's his strength. His wrong 'un is difficult to read for the batters. I always want to give him clear ideas, I don't want to confuse him. I am okay if he concedes a few runs (in the process.) We have had a lot of practice sessions throughout the tournament, so one day of not practising won't harm you.”