IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat Lucknow Super Giants, to meet Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1

RCB finally broke their decade-long curse and landed themselves in the top two—about time, right? The energy was insane at Ekana Stadium. LSG went wild with a massive 227/3 on the board, mostly thanks to Rishabh Pant, who just went full beast mode with a 103 off 50 balls. Captain leading from the front, as they say—but honestly, that knock was pure filth (in a good way).

So, RCB had this monstrous total staring them down, but did they care? Haha, nah. Jitesh Sharma just went off—an unbeaten 85 off 33 balls, dude was smashing boundaries like he was playing backyard cricket. Fastest fifty by a wicketkeeper in IPL history? Just another day at the office, apparently. Kohli was there doing his thing, cool as ever, dropping a solid 47, and Mayank Agarwal chipped in with 38—kept the chase ticking along.

They chased it down in 18.4 overs, finishing at 230/4. Seven straight away wins! That’s not just a record, that’s RCB basically saying, “We’re here, deal with it.” Now they’re set for Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings, which honestly is shaping up to be an absolute banger.

RCB’s been on a wild run lately—batting, bowling, everything just clicking at the right time. Kohli’s experience mixed with Jitesh’s firepower? Chef’s kiss. RCB fans have been waiting for this forever, and I’m not gonna lie, this might finally be their year. The hype is real, the momentum is nuts, and with the playoffs right around the corner, who’d bet against them? That Punjab Kings clash is gonna be fireworks—get your popcorn ready, because this is peak IPL drama.