New Delhi : Former Indian cricketers Mohammed Kaif, Irfan Pathan, and Suresh Raina hailed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they secured their place in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday.
An eight-wicket win over PBKS at Mullanpur, with three-fers by Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood being standout performances, sealed RCB their fourth IPL final appearance and their first in nine years. Kaif, in a post on X, hailed RCB's bowling, saying that the team, often considered a batting-heavy unit, has finally understood that "bowlers win you games".
"It took a while for RCB to understand that good old cricketing truth. Bowlers win you games," posted Kaif on X. Irfan Pathan also lauded RCB, saying that they "deserve every bit of" their move to finals.
"RCB in the finals. Deserve every bit of it. Congratulations to their fans. The bowling had sting in it," posted Pathan.
Suresh Raina also posted, "One Step Away from Glory! Congratulations to RCB on scintillating display. The trio of Yash Dayal, Bhuveaneswar Kumar and Hazelwood was unplayable. Aur @imvkohli kya kehne. Mind blowing energy #RCBvsPBKS @RCBTweets."
After RCB opted to bowl first, PBKS was reduced to 48/4 in the powerplay itself, with Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood and Yash firing all cylinders. Marcus Stoinis (26 in 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Azmatullah Omarzai (18 in 12 balls, with a four and a six) pushed PBKS to 101 in 14.1 overs.
Suyash Sharma (3/17) and Josh Hazlewood (3/21) were the leading bowlers for RCB, with Yash Dayal getting 2/26 in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd got a wicket each. In the run-chase, RCB lost Virat Kohli (12) and Mayank Agarwal (19), but Phil Salt (56* in 27 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and skipper Rajat Patidar (15*) took RCB to the win in 10 overs with eight wickets left.
Kyle Jamieson and Musheer Khan took a wicket each. Suyash was given the 'Player of the Match' award. Now, RCB moves to the finals. However, PBKS will have another shot at the title as they will play the winner of the eliminator between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on June 1 at Ahmedabad.