IPL 2025: PBKS vs KKR – PANIC vs DISCIPLINE

200+ THE Evolving New Normal, Match Scores 111 and 95 Disappointing

1. PITCH - DISCOURAGING

The surface was not a typical IPL featherbed. It had:

• Uneven bounce

• Slow turn

• "Double-Paced” behaviour

Balls stopped. Some kicked. Others skidded low. Timing became a lottery. Even experienced batters couldn’t trust the bounce.

A pitch that made 140 look like 180.

2. PITCH TURNED DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE DAY

Advantaged Chahal - Game-Changing Spell (4 wickets)

Yuzvendra Chahal cleverly turned back the clock with vintage leg-spin. He wasn’t just tossing it up—he teased, trapped, and terminated.

• Took 4 wickets, including key middle-order hitters

• Gave KKR no room to recover after early wickets

• Used flight and dip brilliantly on a slow surface

This wasn’t flamboyance—it was forensic spin bowling.

3. BATTERS FAILED – NO SETTLE DOWN TIME – JUST RELENTLESS PRESSURE

Both teams skipped the usual “rebuild phase.” There was no breather:

• Wickets fell regularly

• Bowlers kept at it—short spells, quick rotations

• No time for batters to assess conditions or rotate the strike

You couldn’t settle. You could only survive.

4. BOWLING PLANS WORKED – WICKETS FELL

PBKS and KKR came with homework done:

• Hit-the-deck bowling

• Tight lines outside off

• Spinners bowled into the pitch, not trying to turn too much

This was not “bad batting” as much as elite execution by the bowlers in spite the pitch was not helpful most of the day

5. LOW SCORING MATCHES – A GAME OF WITS

One who blinks first, loses

KKR, chased just 112, panicked early.

• Lost Rahane first ball

• Middle-order collapse followed

• Over-attacking instead of pacing the chase

Low totals bring invisible pressure—every dot ball builds pressure.

In Summary

This was certainly not an encouraging pitch. It was a battle of discipline vs panic. PBKS held their nerve with the ball. KKR didn’t with the bat.

Final Score:

• PBKS 111 all out (15.3 overs)

• KKR 95 all out (15.1 overs)

• Punjab Kings won by 16 runs

The match highlighted Punjab Kings’s Resilience and Strategic Adaptability, especially after failing to defend 246 run total