RCB crowned IPL 2025 champions, beat PBKS to finally end 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' wait

Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their maiden IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 Final in Ahmedabad, ending their 18-year drought of winning the elusive title.

After 17 seasons and three finals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-awaited dream of winning the coveted IPL trophy finally came to an end, as they defeated Punjab Kings to be crowned the champions of the IPL 2025. RCB registered a six-run win over PBKS to clinch their maiden IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3.

After posting a total of 190/9, Royal Challengers Bengaluru managed to restrict Punjab Kings to 184/7 in 20 overs. Krunal Pandya was the star bowler for the new IPL champions as he led the bowling attack with figures of 2/17 in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too picked two wickets while conceding 38 runs in four overs, while Josh Hazlewood, Romario Shepherd, and Yash Dayal picked a wicket each.

For Punjab Kings, Shashank Singh was the top scorer with an unbeaten innings of 61 off 30 balls, while Josh Inglis, Priyansh Arya, and Prabhsimran Singh contributed with innings of 38, 24, and 26, respectively, to the team’s run chase. However, their efforts went in vain, as Punjab Kings eventually fell short by 6 runs, handing RCB a historic win and their first-ever IPL title after years of heartbreak and near-misses.

RCB huffed and puffed to a respectable total

After being put to bat first by Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost three wickets of Phil Salt (16), Mayank Agarwal (24), and Rajat Patidar (26) for 96/3, putting Bengaluru under pressure in the high-stakes final. 

However, sluggish yet crucial innings by Virat Kohli (43 off 35 balls), a 36-run stand between Liam Livingstone (25) and Jitesh Sharma (26), and Romario Shepherd's quickfire cameo knock of 17 off 9 balls ensured that RCB post a respectable and defendable total of 190/9. 

For Punjab Kings, Arshdeep Singh and Kylie Jamieson led the bowling attack by picking three wickets each, but conceded over 40 runs in their respective four-over spells. Apart from Arshdeep and Jamieson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yuzvendra Chahal also contributed to PBKS bowling by taking a wicket each.

PBKS' batting stumbled in crucial moments

Chasing a 191-run target, Punjab Kings were off to a good start, with openers Priyanshi Arya (24) and Prabhsimran Singh (26) racing the team to 43/0 in six overs before the former was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. 

Thereafter, the Punjab Kings were reduced to 98/4, losing Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (1), and Josh Inglis (39) for 55 runs in 7.1 overs. Nehal Wadhera (15) and Shashank Singh steadied Punjab's run chase with a 38-run stand for the fifth wicket. After Wadhera's dismissal, PBKS lost two more wickets of Marcus Stoinis (6) and Azmatullah Omarzai (1), and they were reduced to 145/6. 

Thereafter, the pressure fell on Shashank Singh. When Punjab Kings needed 42 off 12 balls to win the match, Shashank stood there as a lone warrior, carrying even slim hopes of a miraculous comeback. Eventually, Shashank tried hard to pull off the impossible, but the target was out of reach. Despite his valiant effort, Punjab Kings finished at 184/7, falling seven runs short of achieving the target.