IPL 2025: Wadhera Shines as Bowlers Lead the Charge in Rain-Interrupted Victory over RCB at Chinnaswamy

Nehal Wadhera was instrumental in leading Punjab Kings to a five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in an IPL 2025 rain-affected match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.

Wadhera was unbeaten on 33 off 19 balls as Punjab chased down RCB's humble total in 12.1 overs, after a two-hour rain interruption shortened the game to 14 overs per team.

The usually high-scoring Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch turned into a difficult, slow one, and the match was a nervy affair where each mistimed shot seemed like a game-changer. RCB, having lost the toss and being required to bat, were in deep trouble right from the start, with the awkward bounce of the pitch and tight bowling strangling their batting order.

RCB's batting was a series of poor shots and miscalculations, and they seemed unlikely to even get to 50 runs. Only Tim David's gritty 50 not out from 26 balls offered any semblance of resistance, as RCB managed 95/9. His knock, with plenty of powerful strokes amidst wickets falling all around him, saved RCB from a shameful defeat.

Punjab Kings' Arshdeep Singh was the one who put RCB on the back foot. He sent both Phil Salt and Virat Kohli back early, with Salt top-edging a pull shot to square leg, and Kohli misjudging a pull to be caught at mid-on by Marco Jansen. With those two wickets, Arshdeep became Punjab's all-time leading IPL wicket-taker, overtaking Piyush Chawla with 86 wickets to his name.

RCB's meltdown went on as Rajat Patidar's belligerent attempts fetched only 10 runs before getting out to Yuzvendra Chahal. The move to introduce Impact Player Manoj Bhandage went in vain as he got trapped lbw by Jansen. RCB were struggling at 63/9 by the 12th over. David, however, kept battling, taking calculated risks and scoring a couple of boundaries to push RCB's score to 95.

The Punjab Kings' pursuit was anything but comfortable. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya both rode early jitters, with the latter even playing a top-edge six before being dismissed by Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood's height and aggressive bounce had Punjab batters in discomfort. He dismissed Shreyas Iyer and Matt Henry at a rapid pace, leaving Punjab reeling at 52/4.

But Nehal Wadhera kept his cool. He played sensibly, holding on for the right moment to strike. Against Suyash Sharma, who was turning the ball sharply, Wadhera could find gaps even with misplaced shots, such as a reverse sweep that went to the boundary. When the legspinner overpitched and provided a full-toss, Wadhera lofted it over cow corner for a six, reducing the target to a reasonable level.

With 32 needed off 24, Wadhera went on the attack. He hooked a wide, short-pitched ball over long-off for a boundary and added four byes after a wide leg-break. With the target coming closer, he drove another boundary through covers, taking Punjab closer to victory.

RCB had hopes momentarily when Shashank Singh was sent back for a low score, leaving it at 15 from 15 balls. But Wadhera wasn't to be denied, finding boundaries from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and closing in on the target. Marcus Stoinis then closed out the match, sending a short one over midwicket to lead Punjab Kings to the win with 11 deliveries remaining.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 95/9 in 14 overs (Tim David 50 not out, Rajat Patidar 23; Marco Jansen 2-10, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-11)

Punjab Kings: 98/5 in 12.1 overs (Nehal Wadhera 33 not out, Priyansh Arya 16; Josh Hazlewood 3-14, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-26)

Punjab Kings won by five wickets.