In a rain-affected match at the Chinnaswamy ground, Punjab Kings’ captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field first against RCB. The match was shortened to 14 overs. Many fans recalled Virat Kohli‘s memorable century in 2016 against the same team, despite having eight stitches on his hand. They were hoping for a similar innings from him, but unfortunately, it didn’t materialize.
Kohli and Phil Salt looked to give RCB a strong start, but the story remained the same for them in Bengaluru. One by one, the top batters of the three-time finalists got out while trying to hit big shots. RCB lost three wickets in the powerplay itself. At one point, fans were reminded of the dreaded 49 all out, but thanks to Tim David’s fighting half-century, they managed to post a respectable total of 95.
PBKS began their chase steadily, with Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking. However, both openers were dismissed after playing cross-batted shots. Despite losing Arya and Singh in quick succession, the chase never seemed out of control. Captain Iyer and Josh Inglis hit a few boundaries and brought the team closer to the target.
The game began to shift when Josh Hazlewood dismissed both Iyer and Inglis in the same over. With PBKS four down for 53 and still needing 43 runs from 6 overs, the match was finely balanced. However, Nehal Wadhera ensured a smooth finish with a blistering 33 off 19 balls, easing all the pressure. Former RCB player Marcus Stoinis sealed the win with a six, taking PBKS to 2nd place on the points table with 10 points. Despite the loss, Tim David was awarded Player of the Match for his brilliant half-century.
Fans react to RCB’s third loss at their ground against Punjab Kings
RCB continued their poor run at home, and fans had had enough. While some joked that the Chinnaswamy Stadium was cursed, others even demanded a change of venue. One fan pointed out that out of seven matches played, the three-time finalists lost all three at home and won all four away.
One fan blamed Bengaluru’s batting lineup, which failed to deliver for the third time. Another said the match should’ve been abandoned due to rain—at least then RCB would’ve earned a point. Still, some fans continued to believe in the team and were ready for revenge in the next match. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
One user confidently predicted that Kohli would score a century in the next match against PBKS. Another called RCB an unlucky franchise for losing all the tosses in their home games. Meanwhile, many fans congratulated the Punjab team for winning back-to-back matches.
