NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli’s passion was on full display during the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. Kohli, known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, was seen celebrating animatedly after Josh Hazlewood dismissed Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer for just 2 runs off 3 balls.It was a crucial breakthrough in the early stages of the innings. Hazlewood, brought into the playing XI in place of Nuwan Thushara, made an immediate impact. Bowling a hard length just outside off, Hazlewood extracted extra bounce off the deck. Iyer, trying to force a slog over the leg side, misjudged the length and only managed to edge it through to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who took a sharp catch. PBKS were reeling at that point, having lost three quick wickets in succession.
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Kohli, fielding nearby, erupted into a wild celebration. With clenched fists, intense roars, and an animated reaction directed toward the RCB dugout and the crowd, Kohli’s energy lit up the stadium. Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. RCB made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood in place of Nuwan Thushara.
“We will bowl first. The wicket looks very hard with a decent grass cover, and we’ll try to make the most of the first few overs. Everyone gave more than 100 percent in the last game — Jitesh, Salt, and Kohli were tremendous. One change for us: Hazlewood comes in for Thushara,” said Patidar at the toss.Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer also made a single change, with Azmatullah Omarzai coming in for Marco Jansen.“We would have bowled first as well. Looking at the record here, teams batting first have done well, so I’m optimistic. The crowd has been tremendous — you need that kind of energy when you walk onto the field. The way our openers have shown a fearless approach has been brilliant. Marco goes out and Azmatullah comes in,” Iyer said.Playing XIs:Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle JamiesonRoyal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
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