Kohli was in superb form today after his disappointing performance in the reverse fixture between the two teams / Hindustan Times
It didn’t take long for Royal Challengers Bangalore to get their revenge as they comfortably defeated Punjab Kings by 7 wickets in Mullanpur. Bowling first, RCB restricted PBKS to 157 thanks to some brilliant middle-over bowling from their spinners. In reply, Kohli and Padikkal made light work of the chase, both scoring half-centuries.
Toss and Team News
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to field first. They made one change—Romario Shepherd replaced Liam Livingstone. PBKS remained unchanged.
RCB XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (capt), Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
Impact Players: Devdutt Padikkal, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh
PBKS XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Players: Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Pravin Dubey, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge
Dream Start by Openers, but Middle Order Stumbles
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been standout performers for PBKS this season, and they started strong this time after failing in the earlier clash between the sides. The duo played some stylish shots against RCB’s quality attack, putting together a 42-run partnership before Arya was dismissed for 22.
PBKS reached 61 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, but things unraveled quickly after that. Prabhsimran fell trying to clear the fence off the first ball after the powerplay. Shreyas Iyer followed soon after for just 6, and a mix-up between Wadhera and Inglis led to another cheap wicket. Suddenly, PBKS were reeling at 76 for 4 in 9 overs.
Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen stitched a handy partnership late in the innings to take PBKS to a respectable 157 for 6. The real damage was done by RCB’s spinners—Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma—who controlled the middle overs and picked up two wickets each.
Match-Winning Stand Between Kohli and Padikkal
RCB got off to a shaky start as Phil Salt was dismissed for just 1 in the first over. But any hopes of a PBKS comeback were dashed by a commanding 103-run partnership between Kohli and the Impact sub, Devdutt Padikkal.
The pair started cautiously, taking their time before opening up in the latter stages of the powerplay. Once settled, they kept the scoreboard ticking and built the innings smartly. Padikkal brought up his half-century in 30 balls and was eventually dismissed for 61.
Kohli, meanwhile, remained composed and anchored the innings all the way through. His 73 off 54 balls, including 7 fours and a six, guided RCB to victory with 7 wickets in hand and plenty of balls to spare.
Player of the Match
Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 73 that steered RCB to a clinical win.
