IPL 2025: Punjab Kings Thump RCB at Chinnaswamy in Rain-Hit Encounter

Bengaluru, April 18, 2025 — Punjab Kings gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a third consecutive home loss in IPL 2025, chasing 96 in a rain-reduced encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The five-wicket win further proves RCB’s struggles at home persist despite excellent away performances this season.

The 34th match of the tournament was cut short to 14 overs a side due to incessant rain interruptions. Punjab Kings, having won the toss, decided to bowl first—something they made the most of with a clean performance.

RCB were in early trouble, losing their wickets in bundles. While others could not get started, middle-order batsman Tim David held the innings together with an unbeaten 50 from 26 balls. His calm knock, with well-placed boundaries and intelligent strike rotation, guided Bengaluru to 95/9—a score which always seemed short.

Yuzvendra Chahal, against his old franchise, came back to haunt his former teammates with an exemplary spell of 2/11 off 3 overs. His control and variations stifled RCB’s momentum in the middle overs and earned him applause from fans across the board.

In response, Punjab Kings started strongly but were shaken up briefly by RCB bowler Josh Hazlewood, who took 3/14 and provided a spark of hope to the home side. However, Nehal Wadhera was in sheet anchor role par excellence as he remained not out on 33 off 19 balls to take Punjab to 98/5 in 12.1 overs.

“It’s frustrating to keep falling short at home. We’ll have to revisit our game plans for Chinnaswamy,” RCB pacer Hazlewood said after the match. His comments echoed a growing concern within the Bengaluru camp about their inability to exploit home advantage.

RCB will seek to rebound in a hurry as they get ready to take on Punjab Kings again on Sunday—a opportunity to salvage their campaign and change fortunes before the playoff battle intensifies further.

Punjab’s victory propels them further up the points table, while RCB’s inconsistency has them with real ground to cover in the second half of the season.