Ahmedabad, Jun 3 (UNI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted a competitive 190 for 9 in their 20 overs against Punjab Kings in the fials of the IPL 2025 at Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday, riding on Virat Kohli's fluent 43 and a flurry of cameos before Kyle Jamieson and Arshdeep Singh triggered a dramatic collapse.
Put in to bat, RCB came out firing as Phil Salt (16 off 9) launched into Arshdeep with a six and a four in the opening over. However, Jamieson’s introduction tilted momentum early when Salt top-edged a slog and was brilliantly caught by Shreyas Iyer at mid-on.
Mayank Agarwal (24 off 18) and Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking, with Kohli playing some exquisite flicks and slog sweeps. Rajat Patidar (26 off 16) also joined the party, cracking two sixes, but perished to a clever slower ball from Jamieson as the innings approached the halfway mark.
Liam Livingstone injected much-needed acceleration with a powerful 25 off 15, including a brutal six off Jamieson and a sweep over long-off. However, the Englishman fell to a low full toss – missing a wild swing and falling LBW in the 17th over.
Jitesh Sharma's explosive 24 off 10 balls, featuring two sixes including a stunning scoop over fine leg, was cut short by Vijaykumar Vyshak, who bowled him with an inside edge.
The final flourish came from Romario Shepherd (17 off 9), who smashed a six and a four in Azmatullah Omarzai’s 19th over. But then came Arshdeep's redemption arc.
Having conceded 37 runs in his first three overs, the left-arm seamer delivered an extraordinary final over under pressure:
Arshdeep finished with figures of 4-0-30-3, all three wickets coming in a decisive 20th over that yielded just three runs. Jamieson also shone with 3 for 48, while Azamatullah Omarzai, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Vyshak picked up one wicket apiece.
RCB, who were 167/4 at one point, lost 5 wickets for just 23 runs in the last 21 balls. Punjab now require 191 runs for victory.
UNI BDN BM