Nehal Wadhera Anchors PBKS to Confident Win Over RCB in Rain-Hit IPL Clash

Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal shine with the ball as Punjab Kings rise to second in IPL 2025 standings with five-wicket win in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru, April 19:
A composed knock from young Nehal Wadhera guided Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a rain-affected IPL 2025 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Chasing a modest target of 96 in a 14-over-per-side contest, PBKS finished the job in 12.1 overs with Wadhera unbeaten on 33 off 19 balls, which included three fours and three sixes.

The match, curtailed due to rain, saw Marcus Stoinis seal the win in style with a six, as Punjab registered their fifth win of the season, moving up to second in the points table.

PBKS began their chase on a positive note, with Priyansh Arya (16) and Prabhsimran Singh (13) getting off the blocks quickly before both fell in quick succession. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rocked the top order, reducing PBKS to 32/2 inside four overs.

Captain Shreyas Iyer (7) and Josh Inglis (14) couldn’t provide stability, as Hazlewood continued to impress, finishing with 3/14. Bhuvneshwar added another scalp, dismissing Shashank Singh cheaply, leaving PBKS at 81/5.

But Wadhera, showing maturity beyond his years, found a steady partner in Stoinis as the duo calmly navigated through RCB’s bowling, wrapping up the chase with 11 balls to spare.

Earlier, Punjab’s bowling unit delivered a clinical performance to restrict RCB to 95/9 in their 14 overs. Opting to bowl first, PBKS struck early through Arshdeep Singh, who dismissed Phil Salt and Virat Kohli in quick succession. Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen kept the pressure on, as RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Despite a middle-order collapse, Tim David offered some resistance with an explosive 50 off 26 balls*, smashing three sixes in the final over to push RCB to a somewhat competitive score.

Jansen finished with 2/10, while Chahal, Arshdeep, and Harpreet Brar also picked up two wickets each in a disciplined bowling effort.

With this result, Punjab Kings leap to second in the IPL 2025 standings, while RCB drop to fourth as they seek consistency in the second half of the tournament.

Brief Scorecard:
RCB: 95/9 in 14 overs (Tim David 50*, Rajat Patidar 23; Marco Jansen 2/10)
PBKS: 98/5 in 12.1 overs (Nehal Wadhera 33*, Priyansh Arya 16; Josh Hazlewood 3/14)