Sports Desk
18 April
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist and Research Analysist
In Match 34 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 5 wickets. The match was played at RCB’s home ground, but the team failed to make the most of home advantage. This was RCB’s fourth loss in seven matches and their third straight defeat at home. On the other hand, Punjab registered their fifth win in seven matches and moved up in the points table.
While chasing the target, Punjab Kings had a shaky start. Their openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who came in as an Impact Substitute, couldn’t do much. Prabhsimran was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar after scoring 13 runs. Priyansh Arya was out for 16, taken by Josh Hazlewood. At that stage, Punjab was 32 for 2.
After that, Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis tried to build a partnership and pushed the score past 50. But Hazlewood struck again in the 8th over, removing both Iyer (7 runs) and Inglis (14 runs), putting Punjab under pressure at 53 for 4.
Then Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh steadied the innings with a crucial 28-run partnership. This stand brought Punjab closer to victory. However, Shashank could only add 1 run before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Despite the wickets, Nehal Wadhera stayed calm and guided the team towards the target. Punjab managed to chase down the score and secure a 5-wicket win.
The loss puts RCB in a tough spot as they now need to win most of their remaining games to stay in the playoff race. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings continue to impress with consistent performances this season.