RCB Collapse to 95/9 Against Punjab Kings in Rain-Shortened IPL Clash
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) endured a torrid outing with the bat as they were restricted to a modest 95/9 in a rain-curtailed 14-over-a-side contest against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
The encounter, delayed by nearly two hours due to persistent rain, featured revised playing conditions, allowing only three bowlers to deliver a maximum of four overs each, while a fourth bowler was permitted two.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Punjab Kings made immediate inroads with Arshdeep Singh striking twice in the opening exchanges. He dismissed Phil Salt (0) with a well-directed short ball that resulted in a top edge, brilliantly taken by Josh Inglis at square leg. Soon after, Virat Kohli (1) perished attempting a similar stroke, miscuing a pull shot off Arshdeep to Marco Jansen at mid-on.
RCB’s troubles mounted further as Xavier Bartlett, who shared the new ball, tightened the screws with economical bowling and ended the powerplay with the crucial wicket of Liam Livingstone (4), who was caught trying to clear the infield. By the end of the fourth over, RCB were reeling at 33/3.
The middle order faltered in quick succession. Yuzvendra Chahal struck in his first over, removing Jitesh Sharma (5) and Rajat Patidar (2), both falling to well-set traps in the deep. Marco Jansen returned to decimate the lower order, picking up Krunal Pandya (1), Manoj Bhandage (1), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8), as RCB slid to 42/7.
Tim David provided the lone resistance in an otherwise forgettable innings for Bengaluru. Coming in at a critical juncture, David counterattacked with an explosive unbeaten 50 off just 26 balls. He launched two boundaries off Bartlett and then lit up the stadium in the final over, hitting Harpreet Brar for three successive sixes. A no-ball on the final delivery gave him a free hit, from which he added two more runs to push RCB’s total to 95.
Despite David’s late heroics, RCB’s batting frailties were starkly exposed. None of the top-order batters managed to reach double figures, and only David and Patidar (23) offered any resistance.
Among Punjab Kings’ bowlers, Marco Jansen stood out with figures of 2/10, while Arshdeep Singh (2/23), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/11), and Harpreet Brar (2/25) all contributed effectively to the team’s dominant bowling performance.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 95/9 in 14 overs (Tim David 50*; Marco Jansen 2/10, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/11, Arshdeep Singh 2/23, Harpreet Brar 2/25)
Punjab Kings: Yet to bat
