Hazlewood and Suyash shine as RCB storm into 4th IPL final with win over Punjab

A brilliant bowling show led by three-fers from Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood took Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their fourth final in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, beating Punjab Kings by eight wickets in a one-sided Qualifier I clash in the 2025 season at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.

- 

On a pitch that had ample stitching and extra bounce, everything went RCB's way, right from the toss, as leg-spinner Suyash and a returning Hazlewood took 3-17 and 3-21 respectively to rip apart the PBKS' power-packed batting line-up and bundle them out for just IOI in 14.1 overs. The duo were also supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Romario Shepherd, taking four wickets collectively to set the base for a dominating RCB win.

In the chase, opener Phil Salt scored a 23-ball fifty, his fastest half-century in the IPL, and sizzled with some exquisite stroke-play to be unbeaten on 56 off 27, as RCB completed the chase with IO overs to spare. While RCB will now play their fourth IPL final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, PBKS have another shot at making the final when they play Qualifier 2 against the winner of the Eliminator clash at the same venue on Sunday.