IPL 2025: 'Only one match is left now, we will celebrate together', said RCB captain Patidar after reaching the final for the fourth time

In IPL 2025 on Thursday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings by eight wickets in the first qualifier thanks to a half-century by opener Phil Salt (56 not out) after a brilliant performance by the bowlers. With this, the RCB team entered the final to be held on June 3. The Bangalore team has reached the final for the fourth time, but the team is still waiting for the first title and this year this title drought may end. RCB captain Rajat Patidar thanked the fans after reaching the final and said that only one more match was left. We will celebrate together after winning it. The RCB team has previously reached the final in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Patidar said after the match, 'We were very clear in our plan about how we have to bowl. The fast bowlers used the pitch well and Suyash Sharma also bowled well. He bowls on the stump line which is his strength. I don't say anything to him because I don't want to confuse him. Batsmen are not able to read his googly properly. I just give him a clear message. If he concedes some runs while bowling according to the plan, it is okay.'

Captain Patidar also praised Phil Salt. The way Salt attacked Punjab bowlers after Kohli (12) was out was worth watching. In his unbeaten 56-run innings of 27 balls, Salt hit six fours and three sixes. Patidar said, 'The way Salt bats in every match, the way he starts, is fantastic. I am his fan. I always thank RCB fans because wherever we go, we feel it is our ground. There is one more match (final), we will celebrate together.'

Punjab Kings will get another chance to reach the final despite the defeat, which will face the winner of the eliminator between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier. After the defeat, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said, 'We lost wickets very quickly. There was no mistake in planning because everything was fine till the match, we just could not execute our plan. The bowlers cannot be blamed because the score was very low. We have to work on our batting.'

For RCB, the fast bowling trio of Josh Hazlewood (three wickets for 21 runs), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (one wicket for 17 runs) and Yash Dayal (two wickets for 26 runs) took full advantage of the pitch. After this, leg spinner Suyash Sharma (three wickets for 17 runs) created problems for the home team. Suyash, who was the 'Player of the Match', said, 'People will be happy if I perform well. My role is to bowl on the stumps, whether it is googly, leg spin, or flipper. Now we will celebrate on June 3rd.