Punjab Kings' dream run met a brutal reality check in their own backyard as Royal Challengers Bengaluru tore through their top-order in a fiery display of Powerplay bowling. On a pitch they know intimately, the Kings were expected to dictate terms after being put in to bat, but Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had other plans. Their relentless accuracy, aided by poor shot selection and a frozen response under pressure, left PBKS reeling at 48/4 within the first six overs.
The early carnage silenced the Mullanpur crowd and also exposed a side that had cruised through most of the league stage without a serious test of their batting depth. And perhaps, that led to a rather unexpected decision from the team management as they stared at an ugly batting collapse.
PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1, Highlights
For the first time in IPL 2025, the team was compelled to send Musheer Khan as their Impact Player, signalling both desperation and surprise. Until now, the young batter had been a player PBKS never needed to tap into – a testament to how secure their top order had been.
Interestingly, as Musheer took the crease for PBKS, RCB great Virat Kohli also seemed to align with the notion that a franchise debut in Qualifier 1 was, indeed, a surprising decision. "Look at Virat Kohli at the first slip. Just letting him know that he's a debutant in a pretty big match. He's saying, 'who is this guy?'" Matthew Hayden, who was on-air during the moment, pointed out as Musheer took the crease. Kohli was also caught on camera gesturing towards Musheer, which prompted Hayden to comment.
{{/usCountry}}Interestingly, as Musheer took the crease for PBKS, RCB great Virat Kohli also seemed to align with the notion that a franchise debut in Qualifier 1 was, indeed, a surprising decision. "Look at Virat Kohli at the first slip. Just letting him know that he's a debutant in a pretty big match. He's saying, 'who is this guy?'" Matthew Hayden, who was on-air during the moment, pointed out as Musheer took the crease. Kohli was also caught on camera gesturing towards Musheer, which prompted Hayden to comment.
{{/usCountry}}Harsha Bhogle, Hayden's co-commentator at the time, suggested that Musheer should remind Kohli about Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer's brother, who has played with the RCB great in Test cricket. "He might just turned around and say, 'you know my brother, he hit 150 playing for India'."
Watch the clip below:
Musheer's sudden entry, meant to patch up an innings in tatters, didn't work for the Kings, though. He was dismissed for a three-ball duck, as PBKS were eventually bowled out for just 101 in 14.1 overs.
Musheer Khan's recent performances
Musheer has been away from professional cricket for many months after a car crash right before the beginning of the domestic season last year. The youngster, however, was in scintillating form for Mumbai in the previous Ranji Trophy season, scoring 433 runs in just five innings at a brilliant average of 108. Musheer made his return to cricket with local T20 league in Mumbai before joining the Punjab Kings squad.
Punjab Kings had finished at the top of the IPL 2025 table with 19 points to their name. This secured them a cushion in the playoffs, as a loss won't eliminate them from the tournament. And even though RCB pummelled PBKS by eight wickets, Shreyas Iyer's men will await the result of the eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, setting up a clash with the winners of the game on Sunday.