As the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by a commanding eight wickets in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur on Thursday evening, securing a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final, the crowd cheered in excitement. This will be RCB's fourth IPL final appearance overall and the first since 2016. On all three occasions, they came in second.

Among the many people celebrating the victory was Virat Kohli's sister, Bhawna Kohli Dhingra, who expressed her joy on Instagram.

A few minutes after RCB's decisive victory, Bhawna shared an Instagram Story with a "Finals" sticker and an amulet emoji thought to ward off the evil eye. Her pride and joy over the team's outstanding performance, as well as her desire to put an end to the 18-year wait for an IPL championship, were all conveyed in the message.

The PBKS top order was broken by RCB's decision to bowl first in the powerplay, leaving them at 48/4. Key contributions came from Josh Hazlewood (3/21), Suyash Sharma (3/17), and Yash Dayal (2/26), as PBKS were limited to a low score of 101 in 14.1 overs.

Phil Salt scored a scorching 56* off only 27 balls, despite early setbacks in the chase with the dismissals of Virat Kohli (12) and Mayank Agarwal (19). With eight wickets remaining, Captain Rajat Patidar (15*) helped him lead the side home in just 10 overs.

For his game-winning spell, Suyash Sharma was named "Player of the Match."

Suyash Sharma's performance was praised by RCB captain Rajat Patidar after the game. "I believe we were clear in our strategy for how we should bowl. I believe the surface was put to good use by the fast bowlers. Suyash's chipping in and bowling his lines and lengths were excellent. I have a clear understanding of his bowling as a skipper. He has to concentrate on the stumps since that is where his skill lies. For the hitters, his "wrong 'un" is hard to read. I never want to mislead him, I always want to present him with clear concepts. I'm fine with him giving up a few runs during the game. One day of not practicing won't hurt you since we've had so many practice sessions during the competition.

Read Also: Hazlewood & Bhuvneshwar Run Riot in Qualifier 1 as RCB Crush PBKS’ Top Order—Preity Zinta Left Shocked
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