April 19, 2025: Former India opener Virender Sehwag did not hold back in his criticism of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) batting performance against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, calling out the batters for “reckless” shots and a lack of game awareness.
“RCB batted poorly. All of them played reckless shots to get out. Not a single batter was out to a good ball. At least one batter should’ve used common sense,” Sehwag told. “If they had wickets in hand, they could have reached 110 or 120 in 14 overs, which would have given them a chance to fight.”
RCB were reduced to 42/7 in the ninth over and were saved from complete embarrassment by Tim David, whose explosive 50 off 25 balls helped them scrape to 95/9 in the 14-over-a-side contest.
Despite a spirited bowling effort from Josh Hazlewood, who took 3/14, PBKS chased down the target with five wickets and 11 balls to spare.
This was RCB’s third consecutive home defeat, and they remain winless at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2025. Sehwag questioned the leadership of captain Rajat Patidar, suggesting it was time for a hard look at the persistent batting failures.
“There is difference between getting wickets and earning wickets. Patidar has to think and come up with a solution. They have not been winning at home. Their bowlers are doing well but why are their batters faltering regularly? It’s not alright if your batters continuously fail at home. Who is going to rectify that?” Sehwag added.
RCB had dropped Devdutt Padikkal for the game and brought in Manoj Bhandage as an impact substitute, but the move backfired as Bhandage failed to contribute. In the post-match presentation, Patidar acknowledged the batting unit’s failure.
“Initially it was sticking and two-paced, but we could have done far better as a batting unit. Partnerships are important, we have lost wickets in quick intervals and that’s a big lesson for us. We’ve had to make that change due to conditions,” Patidar said.
RCB now face a quick turnaround as they prepare to take on PBKS once again, this time in Chandigarh on April 20. The franchise will be desperate to get their campaign back on track and register their first win away from home.