Punjab stun Bengaluru in rain-hit slugfest to claim IPL title favoritism

Punjab Kings continued their dream start to the 2025 Indian Premier League, surviving a tricky chase to defeat the Bengaluru Royal Challengers by five wickets in a rain-shortened affair at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday night.

After restricting RCB to 95/9, Punjab made hard work of the chase but sealed victory with 11 balls to spare, thanks to a composed middle-order knock from Nehal Wadhera and late fireworks from Marcus Stoinis.

The win propels PBKS to the top of the ladder, alongside the Delhi Capitals, and sees them installed as new outright favorites across IPL betting sites. Neds now has the Kings paying just $5 to win their maiden IPL title.

RCB entered the contest as narrow favorites but faltered immediately, losing opener Phil Salt for four in the first over. Their collapse continued as only Rajat Patidar (23 off 18) and Tim David (50 off 26)* reached double digits in a dismal batting display.

David’s lone-hand ensured some respectability on the scoreboard, rescuing Bengaluru from the brink at 42/7 with a counter-attacking half-century that included four sixes.

Punjab’s bowlers were excellent across the board, with Marco Jansen leading the way with 2/10 from three overs, while Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran, and Rahul Chahar all claimed wickets in a disciplined team effort.

The chase started briskly, with Priyansh Arya (16 off 11) and Prabhsimran Singh (13 off 9) putting on 22 runs inside three overs. But wickets in clusters soon left Punjab in a spot of bother at 53/4 after eight overs.

That was until Wadhera steadied the ship with a match-turning 33 off 19 balls, striking three maximums before Marcus Stoinis walked in and closed it out with a six on just his second delivery.

“Variety is the spice of life and we are here to experience all kinds of games here, it’s a great challenge,” said PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer post-match.

“To be honest we didn’t know how the wicket was going to feel but the bowlers adapted to it.

“There was no thinking to be honest, I was just taking instinctive moves. I just didn’t want new batters to come in and settle in.”

RCB now fall to third in the title betting at +500 with Nags.bet, slipping behind the Capitals and Kings. They remain in the mix on the points table but will be under pressure to bounce back quickly.

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