The return of Josh Hazlewood gave RCB the X-factor needed to win a place in the IPL final
Match Report:
ScorecardHazlewood destroys Punjab as RCB power to IPL final
The timing could hardly have been better. The return of Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood fired up Royal Challengers Bengaluru to such an extent that they marched into their first Indian Premier League final since 2016 with an utterly compelling bowling display.
Hazlewood ripped through Punjab's top order, claiming the prized wicket of captain Shreyas Iyer (2) and then fellow Aussie Josh Inglis (4) as the Kings slipped to 4-38 inside the batting Powerplay.
Desperate Punjab batters tried too many aggressive shots against hard-length balls as Hazlewood, who finished with figures of 3-21, induced thick outside edge of Shreyas' extravagant drive and Inglis got caught at fine leg while trying to pull, but got beaten with extra pace.
From there the result could hardly have been more emphatic. Punjab Kings were skittled out for 101 as Bengaluru set course for an eight-wicket victory in Thursday's first qualifier.
Hazlewood had meaningful support from two other Bengaluru pacers. Yash Dayal (2-26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-17) also struck inside the first six overs before leg-spinner Suyash Sharma claimed 3-17 to bowl out Punjab in 14.1 overs.
Bengaluru needed just 10 overs to reach 2-106, handing Ricky Ponting's Punjab the biggest-ever defeat in IPL play-off history in terms of balls remaining in the process.
They do have another chance to reach the final but Ponting has just three days to rebuild Punjab's shattered nerves.
Bengaluru can now look forward to their first IPL final since 2016 on Tuesday. Mumbai Indians take on Gujarat Titans in Friday's eliminator, with the winners facing Punjab on Sunday for a place in the final.
Earlier, Marcus Stoinis top-scored with 26 off 17 balls but was undone by Sharma's googly and was clean bowled.
Kyle Jamieson removed Virat Kohli, the former India captain who has yet to win an IPL title, for 12 in the fourth over but Bengaluru raced to 1-61 in their six Powerplay overs with Phil Salt hitting boundaries almost at will.
Salt took 23 balls to bring up his fifty and skipper Rajat Patidar hit a six to seal Bengaluru's victory in a match that lasted only 24.1 overs.
Punjab can still make the final if they can win the second qualifier against the winner of Friday's eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.
Australians at IPL 2025
Chennai Super Kings: Nathan Ellis ($365k)
Delhi Capitals: Mitch Starc ($2.15m), Jake Fraser-McGurk ($1.65m)
Kolkata Knight Riders: Spencer Johnson ($510k)
Lucknow Super Giants: Justin Langer (coach), Mitch Marsh ($623k)
Punjab Kings: Ricky Ponting (coach), Marcus Stoinis ($2m), Glenn Maxwell ($770k), Mitch Owen ($550k), Josh Inglis ($475k), Aaron Hardie ($228k), Xavier Bartlett ($146k)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Josh Hazlewood ($2.29m), Tim David ($547k)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins ($3.7m), Travis Head ($1.2m), Adam Zampa ($440k)
IPL Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
KXI
|
14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.372 | 0 | 19 |
|
2
RCB
|
14 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.301 | 0 | 19 |
|
3
GUT
|
14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.254 | 0 | 18 |
|
4
MI
|
14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.142 | 0 | 16 |
|
5
DEL
|
14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0.011 | 0 | 15 |
|
6
SUN
|
14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | -0.241 | 0 | 13 |
|
7
LSG
|
14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -0.376 | 0 | 12 |
|
8
KKR
|
14 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.305 | 0 | 12 |
|
9
RAJ
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.549 | 0 | 8 |
|
10
CSK
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.647 | 0 | 8 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points