Punjab Kings suffered the worst defeat in IPL playoff history as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 102 with 60 balls to spare. It seemed like the good old PBKS that fans were accustomed to witnessing. But under captain Shreyas Iyer, PBKS have improved leaps and bounds in IPL 2025. Even when PBKS could only manage 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders, they bounced back, saving the lowest total ever. Hence, Iyer is not giving up on the dream to win the maiden IPL title for PBKS. He has a message for fans after the RCB humiliation: We lost the battle, not the war.
“Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets in the first innings. There’s a lot to go back and study on. I am not doubting my decisions, to be honest. Whatever we did in terms of planning, outside the ground, I think it was on point. Just that we couldn’t execute it on the field. Can’t even blame the bowlers, as it was a low total to defend. At the end of the day, and we have to bat according to the situation and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle, but not the war,” Shreyas Iyer said after the match.
Can PBKS bounce back?
Punjab Kings will now face the winner of GT vs MI in Ahmedabad in Qualifier 2 on June 1. PBKS have already beaten both teams at their own backyard this season. They began the IPL 2025 campaign with an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad and beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in Mumbai.
PBKS will draw inspiration from the performance in Ahmedabad to beat the winner of the Eliminator. The team finished the league stage on top of the Points Table with nine wins in 14 matches. Hence, PBKS will be confident of reaching their second final, first since 2014.
PBKS in IPL 2025
| Match No | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 25, 2025 | GT | Ahmedabad | Won by 11 runs |
| 2 | Apr 1, 2025 | LSG | Lucknow | Won by 8 wickets |
| 3 | Apr 5, 2025 | RR | Mullanpur | Lost by 50 runs |
| 4 | Apr 8, 2025 | CSK | Mullanpur | Won by 18 runs |
| 5 | April 12, 2025 | SRH | Hyderabad | Lost by 8 wickets |
| 6 | Apr 15, 2025 | KKR | Mullanpur | Won by 16 runs |
| 7 | Apr 18, 2025 | RCB | Bengaluru | Won by 5 wickets |
| 8 | Apr 20, 2025 | RCB | Chandigarh | Lost by 7 wickets |
| 9 | Apr 26, 2025 | KKR | Kolkata | NO RESULT |
| 10 | Apr 30, 2025 | CSK | Chennai | Won by 4 wickets |
| 11 | May 4, 2025 | LSG | Dharamsala | Won by 37 runs |
| 12 | May 18, 2025 | RR | Jaipur | Won by 10 runs |
| 13 | May 24, 2025 | DC | Jaipur | Lost by 6 wkts |
| 14 | May 26, Mon | MI | Jaipur | Won by 7 wickets |
| Qualifier 1 | May 29, 2025 | RCB | Mullanpur | Lost by 8 wickets |
| Qualifier 2 | June 1, 2025 | MI/GT | Ahmedabad | TBD |
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