IPL 2025: RCB's home woes continue as PBKS seal 5-wicket win in rain-hit clash
Nehal Wadhera's unbeaten 33 off 19 helped PBKS register their fifth win as they moved up to the second spot in the standings. Courtesy: Sportzpics
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered their third consecutive home defeat in the Indian Premier League 2025, going down to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five wickets in a rain-curtailed, low-scoring contest at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru, India.
In a 14-over match played on a sticky, two-paced surface favouring the bowlers, RCB were restricted to a modest 95/9, thanks largely to Tim David’s unbeaten 50 off 26 balls — his maiden IPL half-century.
Despite a spirited bowling effort led by Josh Hazlewood (3/14), PBKS chased down the target in 12.1 overs, with Nehal Wadhera anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 33 off 19.
Batting first, RCB got off to a shaky start as Phil Salt’s brief innings ended after a first-ball four. Rajat Patidar showed promise with a few attacking strokes, but wickets continued to tumble.
Virat Kohli top-edged a pull, Liam Livingstone fell to Xavier Bartlett, and the side slumped to 33/5 with Krunal Pandya and Patidar also dismissed in quick succession.
Yuzvendra Chahal (2/11) and Marco Jansen (2/10) kept the pressure on with disciplined spells, while Manoj Bhandage and Yash Dayal offered little resistance. However, Tim David injected some late momentum, hammering three sixes in the final over bowled by Harpreet Brar to lift RCB past 90.
PBKS began cautiously, losing Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya within the powerplay. Hazlewood's bounce troubled the batters, and he soon dismissed Josh Inglis and PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer to give RCB a glimmer of hope.
However, Nehal Wadhera played a composed knock, accelerating when needed. He reverse-swept a four off Suyash Sharma and followed up with a six, keeping the required rate under control. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Shashank Singh but was also hit for boundaries by Wadhera.
Marcus Stoinis sealed the win with a six off Yash Dayal in the 13th over, taking PBKS to 98/5 and securing their fifth win of the tournament, propelling them to second place on the points table.