New Chandigarh, April 20 (NationPress) Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a convincing seven-wicket victory over Punjab Kings during the IPL 2025 showdown at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.

In a previous encounter, RCB successfully avenged their five-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium just two days earlier.

Following a commendable performance by RCB's bowlers, Kohli and Padikkal spearheaded the chase after Phil Salt was dismissed for a mere 1 run by Arshdeep Singh in the opening over. The pair exhibited fluid batting, elevating the score to 42 at the end of the six-over mark.

Kohli consistently found the boundary while Padikkal aimed for maximums whenever possible. The duo amassed 88 runs by the midway point, with Padikkal reaching his half-century in just 30 balls, hitting Marcus Stoinis for a six and a four in consecutive deliveries to push the score past the century mark in the 12th over.

Harpreet Brar eventually dismissed Padikkal, who scored 61 runs off 35 balls, including four sixes and five fours, in the 13th over.

RCB captain Rajat Patidar entered the crease at No. 4 as Kohli notched up his third fifty of the season in 43 balls, surpassing David Warner’s record for the most 50-plus scores in IPL history. This marked Kohli's 59th half-century in the tournament, in addition to his eight centuries.

Chahal quickly ended Patidar's (12) brief innings in the 17th over, but by then it was too late for Punjab to cause a collapse in RCB's batting order.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma hit six runs off Nehal Wadhera to secure the winning runs for his team. Kohli remained not out at 73, featuring seven fours and a six, while Jitesh added 11 runs as RCB reached their target with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma each took two wickets, limiting Punjab Kings to 157/6 in their 20 overs.

Opting to bat first, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh provided a robust start after a two-run opening over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The duo attacked Yash Dayal aggressively, with Arya hitting a six and a four, while Prabhsimran welcomed him with a boundary. This over contributed significantly to Punjab's momentum, amassing 17 runs.

Prabhsimran maintained the pressure with three fours off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's following over. Arya also targeted Josh Hazlewood, striking him for two fours. Punjab was enjoying a strong start until Rajat Patidar introduced Krunal Pandya into the attack during the fifth over.

Krunal dismissed Arya for 22 runs on his second delivery, breaking the 42-run opening partnership. Captain Shreyas Iyer joined Prabhsimran in the middle as they took the score to 62/1 by the end of the powerplay with the help of a six and a four off Hazlewood.

However, Krunal's second over brought another wicket as he sent Prabhsimran back for 33 runs off 17 balls, which included five fours and a six.

Josh Inglis came in at No. 4 but Iyer failed to deliver, mistiming a shot off Romario Shepherd in the eighth over. Iyer’s struggles at his home venue continued, marking his fourth innings this season without exceeding 10 runs.

In the next over, last match's standout, Nehal Wadhera, was dismissed for 5 due to a mix-up with Livingstone. Punjab Kings found themselves at 79/4 at the halfway point, with Livingstone and Shashank Singh at the crease.

The duo managed a vital 36-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Suyash Sharma broke it by cleaning up Inglis for 29, and then sending Marcus Stoinis back in the same over.

Marco Jansen and Shashank were left to navigate the final six overs and increase the scoring rate, but RCB's bowlers maintained tight lengths, allowing the pair to score just above a run-a-ball, concluding the innings at 157/6.

Shashank ended unbeaten at 31, while Jansen scored 25 not out, including two sixes, with one off Hazlewood on the last ball of the innings.

For RCB, Krunal delivered the best figures of 2-25, while Suyash (2-26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-26) also bowled effectively.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 157/6 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 33, Shashank Singh 31 not out; Krunal Pandya 2-25, Suyash Sharma 2-26) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 159/3 in 18.3 overs (Virat Kohli 73 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 61; Harpreet Brar 1-27, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-36) by seven wickets.