Virat Kohli’s Big Win Brings Joy and Some Drama in RCB vs PBKS Match

Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated a strong win over Punjab Kings in their latest IPL 2025 clash as they chased down the target of 158 runs with ease. The match had everything from big shots to solid bowling and even a bit of drama between India teammates. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal took charge of the chase with immense confidence. Kohli was unbeaten with a solid 73 and Padikkal scored a brisk 61. Their 103-run second-wicket partnership was the turning point that enabled RCB to complete the match with seven balls to spare. This victory was all the more sweet for RCB as it was against the same Punjab side that had defeated them in a rain-affected match earlier.

Kohli was in excellent touch during the game and this knock was his fourth half-century in this season. With this innings he also surpassed Australia's David Warner to become the highest scorer of fifty-plus scores in the IPL. Kohli has now accumulated 67 fifty-plus innings in the tournament that comprises eight centuries. His contribution was not merely about big scores but also about keeping the innings intact when it was necessary. Padikkal's aggressive fifty was his season's first and he displayed excellent intent after RCB lost Phil Salt in the early stages of the match. Salt was discarded by Arshdeep Singh in the first over but Padikkal and Kohli ensured that there were no further setbacks.

Padikkal scored 61 off just 35 deliveries before being removed by Harpreet Brar. Kohli then played patiently and took the team home with a mature innings of seven fours and one six. The RCB bowlers had previously done well to restrict Punjab Kings to 157 for 6. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma picked up two wickets each and managed to slow down the Punjab batting unit.

Punjab had begun on a good note with Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh taking the bowlers on from the onset. They posted a swift opening partnership of 42 but Krunal Pandya struck an instant impression when he joined the fray. He removed Arya in his first over and then saw off Prabhsimran in the following one. Prabhsimran picked up 33 runs in 17 deliveries. Pandya finished on fine returns of 2 for 25 and contributed to RCB dominating the match.

West Indies' Romario Shepherd also contributed as he bowled Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer who scored just six runs. Nehal Wadhera was run out shortly afterward and that added more pressure on Punjab. Josh Inglis attempted to fight back with a 29 off a very short space of time but was clean bowled by Suyash Sharma. In the very same over he got rid of Marcus Stoinis and Punjab found itself in trouble at 114 for 6.

There was a bit of resistance displayed by Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen at the end. They contributed an unbeaten 43-run stand with 31 and 25 respectively but it was not enough to provide Punjab with a winning score. The victory obviously meant a great deal to RCB and there were high emotions following the game.

What everyone noticed was the minor spat between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer post-match. Cameras caught Kohli joking with Iyer with some cheeky movements. It seemed like some light-hearted joshing but Shreyas didn't look too amused and appeared visibly agitated. He did go over to Kohli to speak to him and Kohli as ever looked animated while speaking to him. Though it appeared light-hearted to some of his fans others could see that Iyer was a bit irritated. The moment was soon trending online and evoked various reactions.

Virat Kohli always injects energy and passion both with the bat and his presence on the field. This game was an apt reflection of that. With the victory RCB also avenged the previous loss to Punjab and kept their hopes alive in the IPL season. For the fans it was a game full of action fun and a bit of drama as well. Whether it is the dominating batting by Kohli and Padikkal or the impressive spells by Krunal and Suyash RCB demonstrated that they are also a team to be reckoned with in this tournament.