When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 on Thursday, May 29, Phil Salt’s incredible 56 not out off 27 balls enabled the team advance to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 finals.
At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, RCB won the game with just 102 runs. Salt, Virat Kohli’s opening partner, brought the PBKS bowlers to task while Kohli was removed for a run-a-ball 12. With two wickets down, RCB managed to chase down the meagre score in just ten overs. After scoring 19 runs off 13 balls, Mayank Agarwal was the other batter out.
Phil Salt claimed after the game that it wasn’t the hardest pitch he had ever batted on in the 18th IPL.
He emphasised the value of momentum in the final stages of the competition and added that he was attempting to respond to the ball.
“It feels great right now; the ball did move a little. That wasn’t the worst wicket I’ve played on this season, in my opinion. Don’t approach Arshdeep. He has come up with various tactics to pull me out of the two group games we played (with PBKS), so I was simply trying to respond to the ball. “Gives us the momentum,” Salt remarked following the game. “It’s a cliche, but it’s true, that’s what you want at the end of the tournament, to hit your straps and play a part with the bat or ball.”
PBKS was bowled out for 101 in 14.1 overs earlier in the game. The only PBKS batters to reach double digits were Azmatullah Omarzai, Marcus Stoinis, and Prabhsimran Singh. With three wickets apiece, Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma were RCB’s standout players. The latter’s figures of 3/17 in three overs earned him Player of the Match.
Three finals have been lost by RCB, the most recent being in 2016. When they arrive in Ahmedabad’s massive Narendra Modi Stadium on June 3 for the summit match, they would like to break the curse.
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