Royal Challengers Bengaluru gave the Punjab Kings a harsh dose of reality in their own backyard with a scorching show of Powerplay bowling that completely destroyed their top order. After being placed in to bat, the Kings were predicted to call the shots on a pitch they knew well, but Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had different ideas. Due to their unrelenting precision, compounded by bad shot selection and a frozen reaction under pressure, PBKS were reeling at 48/4 during the first six overs.

The early carnage silenced the Mullanpur crowd and revealed a side that had sailed through the majority of the league round without encountering a significant challenge to its batting lineup. And perhaps, as they watched a terrible batting collapse, the team management made an unexpected choice.

Musheer Khan was forced to be the team's Impact Player for the first time in IPL 2025, which was a sign of both desperation and amazement. The young batsman had previously been a player that PBKS had never needed to utilize, demonstrating how strong their top order had been.

Interestingly, even RCB legend Virat Kohli appeared to agree with the idea that Musheer's franchise debut in Qualifier 1 was, in fact, an unexpected move, as he assumed the crease for PBKS. "Observe Virat Kohli at the first slip. Merely informing him that he is a newcomer in a rather significant game. As Musheer stepped onto the crease, Matthew Hayden, who was on television at the time, said, "Who is this guy?"

Musheer should remind Kohli about Sarfaraz Khan, his brother, who has played with the RCB great in Test cricket, according to Harsha Bhogle, who was Hayden's co-commentator at the time. “He might just turn around and say, ‘you know my brother, he hit 150 playing for India’."

Unfortunately for the Kings, Musheer's unexpected arrival, which was intended to rescue a shattered inning, was unsuccessful. After being bowled out for only 101 in 14.1 overs, PBKS were eventually dismissed for a three-ball duck.

Following a vehicle accident right before the start of the domestic season last year, Musheer has been away from professional cricket for several months. Nevertheless, in the previous Ranji Trophy season, the child played exceptionally well for Mumbai, amassing 433 runs in only five innings with an outstanding average of 108.

Prior to joining the Punjab Kings roster, Musheer played in a local T20 league in Mumbai to mark his comeback to the game.

With 19 points, the Punjab Kings ended the IPL 2025 standings at the top. As a defeat would not knock them out of the competition, this gave them a buffer in the playoffs. Shreyas Iyer's team will set up a match with the winners of the eliminator between the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans on Sunday if the side gives up a defeat to the RCB on Thursday.

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