Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) campaign took another hit on Friday night as they slumped to their third successive home defeat, this time at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS), who galloped to a five-wicket win in a rain-curtailed 14-over clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Set a modest target of 96, Punjab completed the chase with 11 balls to spare, thanks to a composed unbeaten 33 off 19 balls from Nehal Wadhera and a finishing six by Marcus Stoinis that sealed the game in 12.1 overs.
RCB’s total of 95/9, rescued almost single-handedly by Tim David’s explosive 50 not out off 26 balls, was never going to be enough — even on a sticky surface. David’s late fireworks, including three sixes in the final over off Harpreet Brar, gave the home fans some hope after a calamitous top-order collapse had left them floundering at 42 for 7.
Arshdeep Singh (2/23), Marco Jansen (2/10), and Brar (2/25) wreaked havoc early on, dismantling RCB’s batting with discipline and variation. None of RCB’s top six managed to cross double figures, and were it not for David’s counterpunch, the total might have been embarrassing.
In response, PBKS began briskly. Openers Priyansh Arya (16) and Prabhsimran Singh (13) played positively, with the latter lacing three crisp boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in one over. But RCB hit back, dismissing both openers in quick succession — David taking a sharp catch at mid-off to remove Prabhsimran, while Arya miscued a pull off Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood (3-0-14-3) bowled with heart and precision, removing Shreyas Iyer (7) and Josh Inglis (14) in successive overs to reduce Punjab to 53/4 and momentarily shift momentum back in RCB’s favour.
But Wadhera had other ideas. Calm under pressure, the young left-hander paced his innings smartly. He dismantled Suyash Sharma’s third over with a flurry of attacking strokes — two sixes and two fours, including a reverse sweep and a flat pull that soared into the stands — to swing the pendulum back in PBKS’s favour.
Even the late dismissal of Shashank Singh (1) didn’t deter him. Wadhera took on Bhuvneshwar again in the 12th over, clubbing a six over fine leg and following it with a cracking cover drive. That left just two to win.
Stoinis didn’t wait around. Yash Dayal’s first delivery in the 13th over was dispatched over deep mid-wicket with brutal authority, confirming Punjab’s dominance and extending RCB’s woes.
The result lifts PBKS up the table with renewed momentum, while RCB are left to search for answers — particularly around a misfiring top order and continued failures on home turf.
