RCB set first IPL final date in nine years, decimate Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1

Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajat Patidar-led side decimated Punjab in Mullanpur, restricting them to 101 runs in the first innings. It is the joint-lowest by a team in the history of IPL playoffs. They are currently tied with Lucknow Super Giants, who made 101 runs against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator of IPL 2023.

The Punjab batters had an attacking mindset and despite losing wickets, their approach didn’t change and that arguably ruined their chances in Qualifier 1. The openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya departed early and the PBKS batters could have changed their stance but Josh Inglis and Shreyas Iyer soon followed suit and the hosts were put under immense pressure. They lost four wickets in the powerplay and that arguably set the tone of the game/

Meanwhile, Marcus



Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai tried to secure the innings but they too failed to get going, scoring 26 and 18 runs respectively. For Bengaluru, Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma had a gunning day, picking up three wickets each. Credit goes to Yash Dayal too, who was fantastic, picking two.

When it came to the chase, Virat Kohli departed early but he set another record of becoming the first Indian cricketer to score 13500 runs in T20 cricket. After he departed, Phil Salt took over the business and changed the complexion of the game. The England opener smacked boundaries all across the park, scoring an unbeaten 56 runs off 27 balls to get the job done. 

With the win, RCB now qualify for their fourth IPL final in history. They played the big game in 2009, 2011 and in 2016 but fell short each year. They would hope to go the distance this time around and lift maiden IPL trophy.