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NEW DELHI: Phil Salt was in a hurry, and so were Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), as they stormed into the IPL 2025 final with a thumping eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on Thursday.After Suyash Sharma (3/17) and Josh Hazlewood (3/21) combined to dismantle PBKS for a paltry 101 in just 14.1 overs, Salt launched a fiery assault during the chase. The England opener brought up his fifty in just 23 balls — his fastest in the IPL — and remained unbeaten on 56 off 27 balls, hammering 7 fours and 2 sixes.
His blitz powered RCB to the target in exactly 10 overs, with a staggering 60 balls to spare — the biggest margin of victory (by balls remaining) while chasing in IPL playoffs/knockout history, surpassing KKR’s 57-ball win over SRH in the IPL 2024 final.RCB, who had previously made the finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016, have now entered their fourth IPL final, scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3.For PBKS, this was their first playoff appearance since 2014. However, all is not lost for them yet — they will get another shot at reaching the summit clash when they face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 at the same venue on June 1.Salt’s whirlwind knock also earned RCB a place among the quickest 100+ run chases in IPL history:9.4 overs – RCB vs KKR, Bengaluru, 2015 (rain-shortened)9.4 overs – SRH vs LSG, Hyderabad, 2024 (Target: 166)10.0 overs – RCB vs PBKS, Mullanpur, 2025 (Target: 102)10.1 overs – KKR vs CSK, Chennai, 2025 (Target: 104)With history on their side — 11 of the last 14 Qualifier 1 winners have gone on to lift the trophy, including each of the last seven seasons — RCB now have their sights firmly set on a long-awaited maiden IPL title.
