In a dominant performance, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by eight wickets, chasing down a small target of 102 runs in just 10 overs. Their star opener, Phil Salt, smashed an unbeaten 56 runs off 27 balls, including six boundaries and three maximums, marking his fastest fifty in the IPL.
Opening the innings, Salt wasted no time and launched an attack on the PBKS bowlers. His aggressive stroke play set the tone for RCB despite the early dismissal of Virat Kohli, who scored 12 runs in 12 balls. Salt found support from Mayank Agarwal, who scored 19 runs off 13 balls, and later from Rajat Patidar, who scored an unbeaten 15 runs off eight balls, ensured a smooth and quick chase. RCB’s performance took them to the final of IPL 2025.
“We had a second bite at the cherry tonight.” – Phil Salt
In the post-match presentation, reflecting on his explosive innings, Salt said, “Great feeling. We had a second bite at the cherry tonight. It did move a bit. Don’t know how much that was because of the wicket. Not the worst wicket we have played on, put it that way. What came in my head was ” Don’t get out to Arshdeep! Just react to the ball.”
“I said before the game to Andy that it was a blessing in disguise. Sometimes you can think too much and overplay it. So play-travel-play was a blessing in disguise. Just gives us momentum. Cliché but true. Back end of the tournament, you want to hit your straps,” he concluded.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz