IPL 2025: Kohli, Krunal power RCB to beat Punjab Kings in return leg, enter top three
Playing at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh, RCB won their fifth game this season, climbing to the third spot on the points table. Sports, Cricket
Virat Kohli hit an unbeaten 73 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) avenged their last game’s loss against Punjab Kings with a comfortable seven-wicket win over the hosts in IPL 2025 on Sunday. Playing at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh, RCB won their fifth away game this season, climbing to the third spot on the points table with ten points from eight contested matches.
The RCB won the toss and elected to field first. Following a crisp start from the PBKS openers, all-rounder Krunal Pandya broke the stand in his first over, removing the dangerous Priyansh Arya out on 22. Two overs later, he removed gloveman Prabhsimran on 33 before Romario Shepherd dismissed Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer cheaply on six.
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Batter Nehal Wadhera was the next to depart, run out on just five, with PBKS reeling at 73 for four at one stage.
Josh Inglis and Shashank Singh stitched a 36-run stand for the fifth wicket before Punjab lost two quick wickets. With Shashank and Marco Jansen at the crease, Punjab expected to go big with the score; however, a tight display of death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood restricted PBKS to 157 for six in 20 overs.
For the RCB, spinners Krunal and Suyash Sharma returned with two wickets each.
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Virat, the star for RCB
Virat Kohli is back among the runs. After getting out early against Punjab Kings in the previous game, Kohli starred for his team in the away clash, hitting his 67th IPL fifty - the most ever and guiding his team home with seven wickets remaining.
Arshdeep Singh dismissed Phil Salt early on one, bringing Devdutt Padikkal to the crease, with the pair adding 103 runs for the second wicket. Padikkal’s dismissal on 61 gave the hosts little hope, but captain Rajat Patidar’s brief knock squashed that. The skipper also got out on 12, but Kohli had done the damage by then, hitting seven fours and a six in his 54-ball 73.
His unbeaten knock helped him enter the top three batters with the most runs thus far this season.
