Royal Challengers Bangalore Reach IPL Final After Nine Years, Defeat PBKS on Challenging Pitch
After defeating Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 in New Chandigarh on Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru advanced to their fourth Indian Premier League (IPL) final and their first since 2016.
In addition to losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight runs in the IPL 2016 final, RCB advanced to the summit match in 2009 and 2011 before falling to the Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings, respectively.
The team’s victory over the Lucknow Super Giants in their last league game gave them a lift in confidence as they entered the playoffs. With an unforgettable undefeated 85 from stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma, it recorded its biggest successful run-chase in a thrilling climax.
That momentum was carried over to Qualifier 1, as RCB overtook the goal in only 10 overs after dismissing Punjab Kings for just 101 in 14.1 overs.
Punjab Kings will have another chance to make it to the final when they play either the Gujarat Titans or the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 on Sunday in Ahmedabad, while RCB took a step closer to capturing its first championship.
On Friday in New Chandigarh, the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans will play in the Eliminator.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the final on Tuesday, June 3.
