Bengaluru demolishes Punjab to reach its first IPL final since 2016

MOHALI, India — Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowled out Punjab Kings for 101 to qualify for their first Indian Premier League final since 2016 with a resounding eight-wicket victory in the qualifier 1 on Thursday.

Phil Salt's blazing unbeaten 56 off 27 balls powered Bengaluru to 106-2 in just 10 overs and handed Punjab the biggest-ever defeat in IPL playoff history in terms of balls remaining.

Punjab, in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, will have another chance to qualify for next Tuesday's final when it faces the winner of Friday's eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans.

Punjab top-order falls to Bengaluru pace

The return of Josh Hazlewood (3-21) bolstered Bengaluru's pace attack which cracked the Punjab top-order inside the first six overs after Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bat.

Hazlewood dismissed captain Shreyas Iyer (2) and Josh Inglis (4) that saw Punjab slip to 38-4 inside the batting power play. Punjab batters got dismissed while trying too many aggressive shots against hard-length balls as Hazlewood induced thick outside edge of Shreyas' extravagant drive and Inglis got caught at fine leg while trying to pull his Australian teammate, but got beaten with extra pace.

The two other Bengaluru fast bowlers — Yash Dayal (2-26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-17) — also struck inside the first six overs before leg-spinner Suyash Sharma picked up 3-17 to bowl out Punjab in 14.1 overs.

Marcus Stoinis top-scored with 26 off 17 balls but was undone by Sharma's googly and was clean bowled while Punjab's ploy to bring in Musheer Khan as impact player for the first time this season didn't work out as he was trapped leg before wicket by Sharma for duck.

Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma brought curtains on Punjab's dismal batting when he plucked a brilliant one-handed catch over his head to dismiss Azmatullah Omarzai (18) one of the three Punjab batters to get into double figures.

''Not a day to forget, but we have to go to the drawing board,'' Shreyas said. ''We were befuddled and lost a lot of wickets, something to go back and study… in all games here, there has been variable bounce. Can't give such reasons because we are professionals and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle but not the war.''

Salt leads Bengaluru's quick chase

Virat Kohli, who retired from test cricket earlier this month, pulled Arshdeep Singh for a boundary off the first ball he faced and scored run-a-ball 12 before he was undone by tall Kyle Jamieson's extra bounce and edged to Inglis in the fourth over.

But by that time Bengaluru had scored 30 and Punjab didn't have enough runs left to pose any challenge.

Salt raised his unbeaten half-century off 23 balls with his strong cut shots and pulls, hitting six fours and three sixes as Bengaluru cruised to its first IPL final since losing the 2016 final to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Patidar (15 not out) raised the victory with an inside-out boundary off left-arm spinner Musheer before slog sweeping the spinner to mid-wicket for a six.

''We were very clear in our plans and how we have to bowl,'' Patidar said. ''Fast bowlers used the surface well, (and) Suyash chipped in well. He bowls in line of the stumps, which is his strength. I don't give him a lot of ideas, don't want to confuse him.''

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