RCB vs PBKS Timeline: How Royal Challengers Bengaluru Broke Punjab Kings’ Dream in 2025

Punjab Kings were looking for their first IPL title, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru were looking for a championship that had always seemed just out of reach.

By the close of IPL 2025, the whole season ended up being about two games, and a single, constant thing: RCB didn’t only defeat PBKS, they repeatedly put them under the same kind of intense pressure, and managed to get through it themselves.

First, there was Qualifier 1 on May 29th in Mullanpur, where RCB’s bowling took apart Punjab’s batting, and they won by chasing the total in ten overs. Then came the Final on June 3rd in Ahmedabad, where PBKS fought very hard, got to within six runs, and yet still saw the trophy go to Bengaluru.

In Depth

The Main Idea

Two Games, the Same Result

The best way to sum up the RCB versus PBKS story is this: Punjab had chances, but RCB had the upper hand. In Qualifier 1, RCB were in charge with the ball. In the Final, they were in charge of their composure.

Punjab’s hopes weren’t destroyed by a single “bad over” or an unlucky wicket. They were slowly worn down by small things – the lengths RCB bowled at the start, the player combinations they aimed for, the way they defended totals of a little over par without getting worried when boundaries were hit.

Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur

May 29, 2025: Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur – The Night PBKS Lost Control

This was meant to be Punjab’s fast route to the Final. Instead, they were all out for 101 in 14.1 overs, and the game was really over before it had got going.

Powerplay: PBKS start, then fall apart

Punjab tried to attack from the beginning, but wickets kept getting in the way of that. The score didn’t stay at a level that would allow a partnership to gain any strength.

RCB’s plan with the new ball was simple: straight deliveries, a hard length, and nothing easy to hit on the pads. The result was trouble for PBKS’s top batsmen.

Middle Overs: RCB’s spin attack begins

Punjab’s innings had its best point in terms of spirit with Marcus Stoinis’ 26 off 17 balls (two fours, two sixes) – because for a moment it looked like he could get them to a respectable score. But Suyash Sharma ended that hope, and made a collapse seem certain.

What was most noticeable wasn’t just the wickets, it was the lack of ways to score. When PBKS lost their shape, RCB kept aiming at the stumps, and made the batsmen play across their bodies on a pitch that didn’t reward half-hearted shots.

The numbers that showed the collapse

RCB’s bowling stats from that night are like a plan for a knockout attack:

When your top four batsmen take all nine wickets, the side batting hasn’t been “unlucky” – they’ve been beaten.

The Chase: RCB Finish It Easily

RCB didn’t just win Qualifier 1, they took all the tension out of it. They chased 106 and ended on 106/2 in 10 overs, winning by eight wickets.

Phil Salt turned the chase into a clear statement: 56 off 27 balls, with a strike rate of over 200. The message was loud, and very clear: this wasn’t a close win, it was a show of strength.

That chase was important for more than just the points. It gave RCB two good things to take into the Final:

• Rest and recovery after winning the Final place straight away.
• A mental advantage: PBKS now knew RCB could beat them with power in a high-pressure situation.

Why Qualifier 1 Hurt PBKS

Qualifier 1 wasn’t only a loss, it disturbed Punjab’s style. Their best chance of getting a first title was based on batting strength in depth, speed of scoring, and finishing well in the late overs.

RCB attacked that style by taking away what made them comfortable: no easy starts, no safe singles, no rhythm. Punjab didn’t just lose wickets, they lost the ability to play the kind of cricket they wanted to play.

And that’s why the Final, even with a much better performance by Punjab, still had the feeling of Mullanpur over it. Each time PBKS lost a wicket in Ahmedabad, you could almost feel the memory of that collapse trying to come back.

Punjab’s Chase in the Final

Punjab’s chase wasn’t perfect, but it was courageous. They didn’t get nervous under the pressure of the target. They kept attacking, kept looking for opportunities, and gave themselves a chance towards the end.

Key scores for PBKS:

It’s hard to chase 191 without someone solid at the top of the order, and Punjab did get a reasonable start. What decided the game was how RCB broke that start twice, just when PBKS were looking ready to speed up.

Chase Timeline: The Wickets That Shifted Things

The times Punjab lost wickets show exactly when their attempt to win went from “under control” to “very difficult”:

The dismissal of Iyer at 79/3 was particularly bad, as it happened when Punjab really needed someone to settle things down. Losing a captain so soon in a final chase makes the remaining players have to go faster than they had intended.

RCB’s Bowling Plan in the Final

RCB didn’t look for “perfect balls”. They looked for good matchups between their bowlers and the Punjab batsmen.

They used Krunal Pandya to control the game: 4 overs, 17 runs, 2 wickets – little danger, and a spell that took the energy out of the chase.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took important wickets: 4 overs, 38 runs, 2 wickets; overs that might not look good in terms of runs allowed, but which win finals by removing batsmen who were already scoring.

Yash Dayal was still good: 3 overs, 18 runs, 1 wicket, and didn’t let Punjab get the easy hit they wanted.

Even when Hazlewood was hit for runs (4 overs, 54 runs, 1 wicket), RCB didn’t stop using him; they believed in what he was supposed to do, and protected the boundary areas in other ways.

This is where what happened in Qualifier 1 was helpful. In Mullanpur, RCB discovered they could beat PBKS by bowling at the stumps and making the batsmen have to play a shot. In Ahmedabad, they found they could still win, even when PBKS hit back, as long as they didn’t allow one batsman to take over and win the game alone.

The Shashank Storm

Shashank Singh’s 61 from 30 balls was the innings that gave Punjab hope. Six sixes in a final chase don’t just change the score; they change the feeling in the stadium.

Punjab’s players who finished the innings kept the hope alive right until the very end. The problem was the chase needed two things at the same time:

• Hits to the boundary to stay level with the rate
• Singles to prevent the pressure of not scoring from becoming too much

RCB’s fielding and the length of their bowling made getting that balance difficult. Every time Punjab hit a big shot, the next ball either needed another risky hit to the boundary, or a single under pressure to turn the strike over. In the last overs of finals, those “easy singles” are the ones that seem the hardest to get.

Why Krunal’s Spell Mattered

Finals are remembered for big hits and last-over excitement, but are often decided earlier by spells of bowling that limit what the batting side can do.

Krunal’s 17 runs from 4 overs wasn’t just about economy; it was about planning. He got the key batsmen out, and made PBKS take higher-risk shots against the faster bowlers afterwards. When your chase is reduced to needing to hit every ball, the bowling side gains control without needing to get a wicket every over.

That’s how RCB ended Punjab’s dream in the most disappointing way: not by a large win, but by slowly taking away the chase’s room to breathe.

The Season Story, Summed Up

Punjab’s 2025 run deserved to be respected. They got to the final stage, had power in their batting order, and showed they could beat any team.

RCB’s strength was that they came with a more obvious way of winning knock-out games:

• In Qualifier 1, they were strong and direct.
• In the Final, they were calm when things were hard.

It’s unusual for the same team to beat you twice in one week, using two completely different ways of playing. That’s why this rivalry’s 2025 part is so painful for Punjab fans: even when Punjab improved their play from Mullanpur to Ahmedabad, the result was the same.

Main Points

• Qualifier 1 set the scene: PBKS were all out for 101 (14.1 overs) and RCB chased 106/2 in 10 overs, with Phil Salt 56 (27) leading the fast chase.
• RCB’s bowling in Qualifier 1 was very strong: Hazlewood 3/21, Suyash Sharma 3/17, Dayal 2/26, Bhuvneshwar 1/17 stopped PBKS from building a good start.
• The Final was a six-run win: RCB made 190/9, then held PBKS to 184/7, even with Shashank Singh 61 (30) nearly stealing it.
• Krunal’s control won the middle overs: Krunal Pandya 2/17 was the bowling spell that made PBKS need a more risky finish than they wanted.
• Punjab’s chase turned on four wickets: falling at 43/1, 72/2, 79/3, and 98/4 made the late increase in scoring feel like climbing without anything to hold onto.

To Finish

The 2025 story between these teams wasn’t just one game, it was a series of events: the collapse in Qualifier 1 which shocked Punjab, then the Final where they rebuilt, fought, and still fell six runs short.

For RCB, it was the complete knockout package: strength when the game was there to be won easily, calmness when it needed to be defended. For PBKS, the next step is obvious. They have the hitting power, now they need the calm that wins the last eight balls of a season.