Ruthless RCB lay waste to Punjab in latter’s den to win 5th away game in a row – RCB

RCB redeemed themselves in glorious fashion as they pounded Punjab emphatically in the return-leg fixture, securing a seven-wicket victory at Mullanpur. An all-round showdown from the visitors was too hot to handle for Shreyas Iyer and company as RCB maintained their winning streak on the road intact to clinch their fifth away win in a row.
Winning the toss, Rajat Patidar opted to bowl first and the RCB bowlers had a bit of early setback with Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (33) getting off to a flyer. The duo added 42 runs for the opening stand before Krunal Pandya produced a mishit from Priyansh that was pouched comfortably by Tim David.
Prabhsimran Singh was the next wicket to fall as Krunal applied the brakes with David completing a second grab of the evening. The PBKS skipper, Shreyas Iyer (6) could hardly add to the resistance as Krunal Pandya grabbed an absolute ripper off Romario Shepherd’s bowling.
Nehal Wadhera was the next to join the parade of woes for PBKS as he was run-out by Virat Kohli after a massive mix-up with Josh Inglis in the center. Eventually it was Shashank Singh and Josh Inglis who brought in the necessary reinforcements to bolster Punjab’s stand.
The duo added 36 runs for the fifth wicket before Suyash Sharma got the better of Inglis (29) with a classic leg-break. Marcus Stoinis (1) fell for the googly in quick succession off Suyash’s same over. RCB had the opportunity to snuff out every last inkling of resistance quickly enough but a valiant fightback from Marco Jansen (25*) kept Punjab in the game to give themselves a fighting chance as they posted 157/6.
To amplify their chances, Arshdeep Singh was quick to retaliate, bagging the crucial scalp of Phil Salt (1) early enough. However, the hosts’ flicker of silver lining was quickly clouded away by a resurgent partnership between Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli.
Padikkal was in menacing touch and continued the rich vein of form in the game, smashing his first half-century of IPL 2025. Virat Kohli was happy to play second fiddle to Padikkal’s relentless aggression, occasionally dispatching the looseners to the fence.
Padikkal (61) clobbered five fours and four sixes while striking at a rate of 174.29 before Harpreet Brar could finally force him into playing an aerial shot from the toe-end of his bat. However, Kohli continued his brilliance at the other end, spraying Punjab with dabs of accuracy.
Patidar (12) couldn’t finish the innings for RCB as Yuzvendra Chahal got the better of the RCB skipper. Kohli stayed unbeaten for 73 off just 54 balls while Jitesh Sharma whacked a massive six to win the game for RCB, making it their fifth away win in a row. Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten match-winning innings.

source