Mullanpur: The inevitable occurred even before the audience could settle at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, anticipating fireworks from the home team Punjab Kings (PBKS), who were instructed to bat first against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Qualifier 1.

With just three batters reaching double figures, the PBKS lineup crumbled in the swinging conditions. The outcome was a pitiful 101 runs, with 35 legal balls remaining to be bowled.

The victory propelled RCB to their first final since 2016, as they chased down the target with eight wickets and ten overs remaining. PBKS will have to put in hard work during the Qualifier 2 on June 1, while Rajat Patidar's squad is just one step away from winning their first trophy.

On a surface that provided some seam, bounce, and spin, the RCB bowling trio of Suyash Sharma (3/17), Josh Hazlewood (3/21), and Yash Dayal (2/26) tore through the PBKS batting order, bringing them to their tournament low.

The hosts were unable to stop the inevitable collapse as the RCB bowlers struck at regular intervals after the in-form openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who had been key in placing PBKS at the top of the table, were back in the pavilion.

Despite losing Virat Kohli in the fourth over, caught off by Kyle Jamieson, while pursuing the low total, RCB was able to get over the line thanks to fellow opener Phil Salt's unbroken 27-ball 56 (4x6, 6x3).

Although Musheer Khan took the second RCB wicket, which was Mayank Aggarwal's, for 19 runs, it made little difference in the end. The RCB innings came to an end at 106/2, with captain Patidar remaining undefeated on 15.

Having previously defended 111 against KKR at the same location earlier this season, PBKS would have hoped of pulling off the impossible, but RCB came out firing on all cylinders and easily reached the score.

Dayal, a left-arm pacer, made the first breakthrough for RCB by dismissing Arya for 7 in the second over, and then Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an experienced player, sent Prabhsimran back for 18.

Following that, Josh Hazlewood took control and dealt a double blow that stifled PBKS. PBKS was reeling at 38/4 in 5.1 overs as a result of the dismissal of Josh Inglis for 4, which followed the earlier dismissal of PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer for 2. With all of their top order gone, the hosts were able to score only 48 runs during the powerplay.

Dayal, on the other hand, was not finished. The 27-year-old took his second wicket when he bowled Nehal Wadhera for eight runs, bringing half of the PBKS team back into the dugout for fifty.

The addition of leg-spinner Suyash Sharma as the Impact Player extinguished any hopes of a PBKS rearguard. In the ninth over, Suyash bowled Shashank Singh with a googly for three runs before getting Musheer Khan LBW for a three-ball duck.

Only Marcus Stoinis was able to counter PBKS's attack with his 17-ball 26 (2X4, 2X6), before Suyash tricked him with his loop. The Australian attempted a slog over mid-wicket, but the ball slipped past his swipe and hit the stumps. PBKS' agony was soon brought to an end by Hazlewood and Romario Shepherd, who sent them off with a terribly low score.

“It is not a day to be forgotten, but we must return to the drawing board. After the game, Iyer said, "We were confused and lost a lot of wickets."

"Something needs to be studied again. I don't question my choices in terms of planning. It was flawless outside of the ground. We are unable to perform and cannot place blame on our bowlers. The total was so low. We began practicing our hitting on this pitch. Every game played here has had different bounce. We are professionals and must act accordingly, thus we cannot provide justifications like that. We may have lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war, he said.

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