Daijiworld Media Network- Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 20: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) put up a disciplined bowling performance, spearheaded by spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, to restrict Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a modest 157/6 in their IPL 2025 encounter on Sunday.

Opting to field first on a slightly sluggish surface, RCB’s decision paid rich dividends as Krunal (2/25) and leggie Suyash (2/27) turned on the heat in the middle overs to derail PBKS’s promising start.

Punjab had raced to 42/0 in just 4.2 overs, with openers Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (33) showing early aggression. Arya, in particular, took on pacer Yash Dayal with a six and a couple of crisp boundaries. But the momentum quickly shifted when RCB skipper Rajat Patidar brought Krunal into the attack in the fifth over—a decision that proved to be a turning point.

Krunal immediately struck, removing Arya with a well-disguised slower ball, and from there, Punjab's innings began to crumble. A costly mix-up led to Nehal Wadhera’s run-out, and the visitors soon found themselves reeling at 76 for 4.

Captain Shreyas Iyer’s soft dismissal off debutant Romario Shepherd and Josh Inglis’s misjudged attempt to attack Suyash further dented PBKS's recovery. Inglis, who had played a couple of eye-catching shots earlier, was undone by the leg-spinner’s clever side-spin.

A late flourish by Shashank Singh (31*) and Marco Jansen (25*) helped PBKS limp past the 150-run mark. The duo added a valuable 43 runs for the seventh wicket, with Jansen ending the innings on a high with a six off Josh Hazlewood. However, the final five overs yielded just 38 runs—an indication of how well RCB's bowlers executed their plans.

With spinners shining and the home crowd backing them in full force, RCB now eye a comfortable chase to build momentum in their IPL 2025 campaign.