RCB vs PBKS Timeline: The 2025 Qualifier 1 and Final That Reset IPL

Two games within five days could alter the way Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings view each other for the next ten years – and 2025 did just that to them. The RCB versus PBKS story will always be divided into “before” and “after” May 29th and June 3rd.

On May 29th, 2025, at Mullanpur, RCB bowled PBKS out for 101 in 14.1 overs, then reached the total in 10 overs, making a playoff seem almost like practice. On June 3rd, 2025, in Ahmedabad, PBKS nearly defeated RCB in the final, but fell six runs short after RCB had made 190 for 9.

Between these two nights lies the new core of the rivalry: being made to feel small, answering back, and finally, losing out. Those who’ve seen both teams through their years of ‘nearly’ will understand this wasn’t simply a final, it was a complete change.

In Depth

Prior to 2025: A Rivalry Based on Unpredictability, Not Honours

RCB and PBKS have frequently been alike in the IPL. Notable players, dramatic events, long periods of frustrating inconsistency, and supporters who treat every win as a festival and every defeat as a personal let-down. This creates a particular type of rivalry – one not built on championships, but on changes in fortune.

Their matches throughout the seasons usually produced extremes, not trends. Sometimes it would be a chase that seemed impossible until it was unexpectedly completed. At other times, it would be a collapse of the top order that made you look at the scores twice. Even when a playoff place wasn’t at stake, the games had a feeling of “anything could happen”, as both teams lived near the limit of what they could manage.

That’s why 2025 had such a big impact. It took a rivalry known for unpredictability and gave it two clear, high-pressure moments against which all future matches will be judged.

April 18th, 2025: The League Game Which Subtly Set the Stage

The RCB versus PBKS story in 2025 didn’t begin in the playoffs. It began on April 18th, 2025, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in a rain-reduced match of 14 overs a side which PBKS won by five wickets with 11 balls left.

RCB struggled to 95 for 9 in 14 overs, rescued largely by Tim David’s 50 from 26 balls – which says everything about how difficult that innings was. PBKS then reached 98 for 5 in 12.1 overs, a controlled chase which seemed easy because RCB hadn’t put enough runs on the board.

Why this matters: that night showed the match as one in which PBKS could force RCB’s batting into mistakes and keep the rate needed under control. In the league stage, you move on quickly. In a playoff rematch, that memory remains, particularly for the side which was pulled into a low-scoring contest.

May 29th, 2025: Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur and the 101 That Resounded

Then came Qualifier 1 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) on May 29th, 2025. This was the night which altered the emotional balance of the rivalry.

PBKS were all out for 101 in 14.1 overs. In a playoff. Against a team they had beaten at Chinnaswamy only weeks earlier. It wasn’t one of those 101s where the pitch was impossible for everyone. It was a 101 that looked like panic.

RCB’s bowling plan was obvious: hit the stumps, keep the ball in play, and make PBKS hit into the open spaces early. The effect wasn’t only wickets, it was the decisions made. PBKS attempted to increase the pace and ended up giving RCB momentum in large amounts.

Suyash Sharma was Player of the Match, and his worth wasn’t just in the numbers, it was in the timing. He put a stop to PBKS rebuilding in the middle overs like a handbrake, and turned every “one good over” idea into “we’re already six down”. Once PBKS were eight down, it wasn’t even about tactics anymore, it was about limiting the damage.

RCB’s chase was decisive: target in view, no difficulties allowed. They reached it in 10 overs, with Phil Salt’s 50 from 23 setting the tone. When you chase with 60 balls remaining in a qualifier, you don’t just win a game, you make an impression.

From that moment, PBKS versus RCB ceased to be “enjoyable unpredictability” and became personal. PBKS weren’t just beaten, they were shown up on the biggest stage before the final.

The Five-Day Break: What Each Team Sorted, and What Each Team Kept

The interesting aspect of this rivalry change is what happened in the period between the thrashing and the final.

For RCB, the work was psychological more than tactical. A huge qualifier win can make a team feel unbeatable, and being unbeatable is dangerous in finals. Their batting still had a common pattern: early intent, a middle overs phase where one wicket could cause two, then a late surge if batsmen were left with enough balls. Their bowling had the type of balance which wins finals: control with the new ball plus a spin choke in the middle overs plus skilled death bowling.

For PBKS, the solution had to be structural. If you are bowled out for 101 in a playoff, you don’t just need “more intent”, you need a more composed method. That means:

• a top order plan which values rotating the strike for 8 to 10 balls before the first big hit,
• a middle order which can absorb a wicket without turning it into a collapse,
• and clearer targeting of RCB’s spinners with your bowlers.

The other thing PBKS carried was motivation. A qualifier humiliation is brutal, but it also gives you clarity: you know exactly what can’t happen again. PBKS’ path back into the final turned that embarrassment into determination. They didn’t come to Ahmedabad as the stronger side on paper, but as the team that had already lost badly, then somehow survived.

June 3, 2025: The Final in Ahmedabad and the Six Runs That Made History

The final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on June 3, 2025 wasn’t like Qualifier 1 – and that is what made this pair of games the defining moment in the rivalry.

RCB scored 190/9. The total was built gradually:

• Virat Kohli’s 43 from 35 balls held the innings together, as the pitch didn’t look like it would produce a score of 210.
• The middle order players came in to push the score up, rather than bat for a long time, with runs from Mayank Agarwal (24), Rajat Patidar (26) and quick scores which kept the run rate going.
• PBKS fought back during the innings with good bowling, Arshdeep Singh taking 3/40 and Kyle Jamieson 3/48, making RCB have to work for every extra run towards the end.

PBKS then chased, and nearly did it. They got close enough so that every misfield felt important, and every dot ball seemed to cause a huge cheer. Shashank Singh’s 61 not out gave them strength in the chase, and Josh Inglis’ 39 added the speed needed when you’re trying to chase 191.

What really decided it was how RCB bowled when it mattered. They didn’t require a perfect over each time, they just needed:

• a squeeze in the middle overs to stop the required run rate dropping to where one over could win it,
• and a couple of death overs where skill was more important than nerves.

Krunal Pandya had the biggest moment of the match with 2/17, and was named Player of the Match. In finals, wickets are valuable, but the wickets that break up partnerships are even better. Krunal didn’t just get wickets, he took away PBKS’ confidence. They had to restart their chase each time, and restarts lose you balls.

RCB won by six runs. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t a surprise, just a well-defended total, with better nerves in the last two overs.

This is what changed the rivalry. PBKS had already had the worst possible experience in Qualifier 1, but still turned up for the final and almost won it. RCB, after many years of losing in finals, didn’t hesitate when the chase got close.

How the 2025 Playoffs Changed What “RCB vs PBKS” Means

Before 2025, RCB versus PBKS was a game you liked, as anything could happen. After 2025, it became a game you analyse, as it has real importance.

Here’s what changed, in cricket terms:

• PBKS stopped being “the team that sometimes upsets RCB”, and became a proper psychological opponent. They’ve now experienced both ends of the scale against RCB in the same season: a league win affected by rain and a collapse in a Qualifier, then a final chase that nearly turned things around.
• RCB learned to win when not at their best, and to win close games against the same opponent. The Qualifier was a big win. The final was a tight one. To do both to the same team in the same week is how rivalries get really intense.
• Players had moments which will be remembered in every future match.

• Suyash Sharma’s bowling in the Qualifier is now part of what PBKS think about.
• Salt’s quick runs in the powerplay in the Qualifier is the warning PBKS can’t ignore.
• Krunal’s bowling in the final is why RCB fans will always believe they can defend 180 to 195 when under pressure.
• Shashank’s 61 is proof that PBKS can cope on the biggest stage and not be scared.

The Moments From the Games Fans Will Watch Again and Again

If you’re building a story of the RCB versus PBKS rivalry, these are the key moments:

Those three games made a story in one season: PBKS get an early advantage, RCB reply strongly, PBKS show they can fight back, and RCB finish the job.

Main Points

Conclusion

The RCB versus PBKS story is not just a list of results now, it’s a story of how pressure changes teams. RCB learned to win twice against the same opponent in two very different ways, and PBKS learned that they can have a really bad experience and still make a final chase difficult to the very end.

Next season, or the next time these teams have an important game, watch the first four overs and the overs after the strategic timeout. That’s where 2025 left its mark, and that’s where the rivalry will keep making new parts of the story.