NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings registered a commanding five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a rain-affected Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday. With evening showers delaying the start, the contest was reduced to 14 overs per side.
RCB, batting first, found themselves in early trouble but were rescued by Tim David, who produced a counter-attacking 50 off just 26 deliveries. His valiant effort helped the hosts post 95 for nine, a total that seemed modest even in the shortened format.
Punjab’s bowlers put up a disciplined show, keeping the scoring in check and picking up regular wickets.
In reply, PBKS looked in control from the outset.
Nehal Wadhera anchored the chase with a fluent 33 off 19 balls, ensuring his side crossed the finish line comfortably in 12.1 overs. Despite Josh Hazlewood’s excellent spell of 3/14 for RCB, the home side had too little on the board to defend.
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The defeat marked RCB’s third consecutive loss at home this season, continuing a worrying trend for the Bengaluru-based franchise.
They have now lost all three matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2025 – by 8 wickets to Gujarat Titans, by 6 wickets to Delhi Capitals, and now by 5 wickets to Punjab Kings.
With this latest setback, RCB have now suffered 46 defeats at their home venue, the most by any team at a single ground in IPL history.
They overtook Delhi Capitals, who have lost 45 matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Kolkata Knight Riders (38 at Eden Gardens), Mumbai Indians (34 at Wankhede), and Punjab Kings (30 at Mohali) follow on the list.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
