Chandigarh, April 21 (H.S): The rhythm of Punjab Kings, which has been in excellent form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, came to a halt on Sunday at the Maharaja Y.P. Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The team, led by Shreyas Iyer, faced a 7-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), marking a crucial victory for the tournament.
Batting first after losing the toss, Punjab Kings scored 157 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh provided a quick start, but the middle-order batsmen failed to build a substantial score. The Bangalore team, chasing the target, secured victory with 7 balls to spare thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 73-run innings from Virat Kohli.
After the match, Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting attributed the loss to poor batting. He said, We did not perform well with the bat in this match. The pitch was certainly better than 157 runs. Many of our batsmen got off to a good start, but none could play a big innings. That’s what makes the difference in T20 cricket. During the powerplay, we were at 62 for 1; from there, we should have reached a score of 180 or 200, but we lost wickets in clusters.
Ponting emphasized that every match now feels like a do-or-die situation for the team. He stated, We have reached the halfway mark. Now every match is important. We need to secure wins in the upcoming matches to strengthen our position in the playoff race. The next match against Kolkata is significant. The home matches in Dharamshala will also be crucial for us.
Ponting also expressed hope about playing in Dharamshala. He mentioned, Dharamshala is a wonderful ground. The pitch there is good, the ball comes onto the bat quickly, and the ground is small. This time we have three matches there. We need to make sure that ground proves to be lucky for us.
Punjab Kings will face Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on April 26, and will play a home match against Lucknow Super Giants in Dharamshala on May 4.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
