Right then, a game that promised so much but turned out to be a one-sided affair, with RCB delivering a thumping win to book their place in the IPL final for the fourth time. Their opponent will be decided over the coming days. Next up is the Eliminator in Mullanpur on Friday, 30th May, where the Gujarat Titans face the Mumbai Indians. The winner will head to Ahmedabad to take on the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 for a spot in the final, while the loser will bow out of the tournament. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but as always, we will be here well in advance to bring you all the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Suyash Sharma is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his superb bowling performance. He shares that he sticks to his plan of attacking the stumps. Believes that the help he got from the surface made it difficult for the batters to read him. Mentions that the googly is his stock ball. Hopes that they can celebrate on the night of the final.

The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajat Patidar, says that they were very clear with their plans and the fast bowlers used the conditions well and then Suyash was superb in the middle overs as well. Adds that he is clear about Suyash's bowling and he has to attack the stumps and the wrong'un is very hard to pick. Mentions that Salt has been amazing for them throughout the season and he himself is a big fan of him. Ends by acknowledging the support of the RCB fans and says that they have been fantastic wherever they have gone, just one more to go and then they will celebrate together.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

RCB's Phil Salt is in for a chat. He says that it is a great feeling to make it to the final. Adds that they had a second chance had they not won but he is happy that they made it to the final in the first attempt. Mentions that the ball did move a bit but it was not the worst wicket of the season. Shares that he had said to himself not to get out to Arshdeep Singh since he had dismissed him twice this season. Feels that it was a blessing in disguise that they did not have a long break between the final league game and this game. Believes that momentum is a good thing towards the back end of the tournament and he is happy that they are hitting their straps as a unit.

The captain of Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer, says that they have to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong. Adds that they failed to read the wicket properly and need to take more responsibility in the batting department. Mentions that he does not want to doubt his decisions, it's just that they failed to execute their plans out there. Says that whenever they have played here, there has been some variable bounce. Tells that he can't even blame the bowlers, as it was such a low score, and they need to improve their batting. Ends by saying that they have lost the battle, not the war.

Earlier in the night, RCB chose to bowl first, a decision that raised some eyebrows given that the previous three night games at this venue had been won by the teams batting first. The Bengaluru seamers made good use of the conditions, with some nibble and lift off the deck. However, Punjab didn’t help their cause with their shot selection. They never seemed to rein in their attacking instincts, and wickets kept falling one after another. Marcus Stoinis tried to mount a counterattack but could manage only 26 runs on the night. Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma were the main destroyers, each finishing with three wickets.

With just 102 runs to get, all RCB needed was a composed start to ease the early nerves. Virat Kohli struck a few crisp boundaries to get things going before falling, but by then, RCB already had 30 on the board. In the same over, Kyle Jamieson had Mayank Agarwal all at sea and that was as good as it got for Punjab in their defence. Phil Salt went after Jamieson in the next over, and saw his team home by staying there at the end with an unbeaten 56.

As dominant as a performance can be! Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm their way into the final, reaching their first summit clash since 2016. Interestingly, it was on this very date, 29th May, that they fell just short against Hyderabad in the final that year. 9 years later, they have a chance to rewrite history. Meanwhile, the night went as wrong as it could for the Punjab Kings. Despite being thoroughly outplayed, they are not done yet. They will get another opportunity to book their place in the final through Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad.

STRATEGIC BREAK! Just the formalities left to be completed here in Mullanpur. RCB are a mere 10 runs away from sealing their first IPL final appearance since 2016 and what a night it’s been for them. In stark contrast, it’s been a night to forget for Shreyas Iyer and his men, one they will want to quickly move past as they shift focus to Qualifier 2.