Right then, 70 games over the course of well over 2 months and we finally have the final league standings. Punjab Kings take first place, separated only by net run rate from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, whom they will face in Qualifier 1. Gujarat Titans slip late and slip into third position and they now have to go up against a dangerous-looking Mumbai Indians side in the Eliminator. It is a quick turnaround and Qualifier 1 will be played on Thursday, May 30, in Mullanpur and will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), with the winner getting a direct entry into the Grand Finale. It will be an exciting contest and you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up as well. Till then, take care and goodbye!

The RCB skipper, Jitesh Sharma, is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his sensational match-winning knock. He says that he is not able to express his thoughts and still can't believe that he managed to play a knock like this. Says he was trying to stay in the moment and watch the ball as closely as possible. Shares that when Virat got out, he decided to take the game deep. Says that is what his guru, Dinesh Karthik, told him. Adds that he was getting cramps as the load was on him but he has such players in the team with whom he loves to play with. Mentions that he knows they have a big match coming up but will celebrate before that and recover well. On their away record, he says that credit goes to Rajat Patidar and he just managed to keep his record intact. Reckons that they have match-winners throughout the lineup.

The Presentation ceremony...

Mayank Agarwal of RCB is down for a chat. He says that there was very less talking to do with Jitesh as he was looking to give him a strike and Jitesh put up a show . Mentions that It was wicket keeper's game as first rishabh and then jitesh played simply outstanding. Shares about  his discussion with Jitesh Sharma that they were calculating that when they required 90 off 7 overs and they knew that Digvesh Singh had one over, and they thought of taking 10 runs off his overs and try to target other bowlers. States that to chase down 230 was simply magnificent as it requires a lot of confidence and there was lot of belief in the team. Shares about his innings that when he came to bat they just lost two quick wickets so he was looking to build partnership and target few bowlers. Concludes with that it was really food that he and Virat Kohli got quick runs and then it was all about one batter staying till the end.

The captain of Lucknow Super Giants, Rishabh Pant, reflects on the team's loss, emphasizing the importance of playing quality cricket across all 40 overs, as relying on just 20 overs isn't enough in this format. He acknowledges that injury concerns before the tournament significantly impacted their performance throughout the season. Speaking about his batting, Pant shares that he felt better with each match, ensuring he capitalized on his good starts, even though things don’t always go as planned. He explains that he focused on playing to the field, timing his shots through the line, and finding gaps while maintaining a consistent intensity throughout his innings. He admits there are several areas for improvement and plans to take a short break from cricket to reset. Looking ahead, he mentions the upcoming England series and his intent to prepare thoroughly for it. On the positives, he says that the batters did well for them and also highlights about some positive performances with the ball, including Digvesh, Avesh, and Akash. Ends by saying that they had their chances, but couldn't capitalise on it.

Earlier in the game, the stand-in skipper for RCB, Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to chase on a track that just seemed on the slower side. With no Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke got an opportunity alongside Mitchell Marsh but couldn't quite latch onto it. Rishabh Pant decided to come in at number 3 and went on to show that he is still one of the very best, as he added 152 runs with Marsh and even went on to score his second IPL century. LSG finished with a score of 227 on the board, which on this pitch looked like a winning one. For RCB, Nuwan Thushara bowled a stellar spell with Krunal Pandya doing decently in his 2 overs as well, but the rest of the pack went for plenty of runs.

After putting on 227 runs on the board and Rishabh Pant notching up a sensational century, Lucknow Super Giants must have thought they had the game in the bag. However, it was an untidy start in the Powerplay but they managed to pull things back nicely just after the Powerplay.  That double-wicket over from Will O'Rourke gave LSG hope but their pacers just seemed off color. Digvesh Singh bowled decently but the inexperience of Will O'Rourke cost them as he went for 74 runs in his 4 overs and even Shahbaz Ahamad conceded in excess of 20 runs in one over and those things really hurt LSG and their chances of ending the season on a high.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed a big batting performance in a crunch game and it all depended on that crucial Powerplay. Phil Salt and Virat Kohli didn't disappoint as they launched a barrage of boundaries. The score was 61 in 5.4 overs when that first wicket of Salt fell but Kohli made sure that the momentum didn't break. The likes of Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone fell in successive deliveries before Mayank Agarwal joined Kohli at the crease and provided some much-needed calm. Kohli got a half century and got out but Mayank looked in fine touch. However, with a mountain still to climb, it was the stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma who stepped up for his side. He went ballistic at the death and even luck favored him a bit but he made his own luck. Remained unbeaten on 85 off just 33 balls and finished off the game with still 8 balls to go.

JITESH SHARMA - CAPTAIN FANTASTIC! What an epic run chase! One of the finest we have seen in the IPL, and the occasion makes it even better. RCB have gunned down 228 runs and have sealed a top-two finish in the very last league game of IPL 2025. This is also RCB's highest-ever successful chase in IPL history and they will now play in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings. Records galore for RCB don't stop there, as they have ended up winning all 7 away games in the regular season, which is just remarkable.

Whoa, what happened there? Digvesh Singh stops right before delivering the ball. He sees Jitesh Sharma get out of the crease, loading up for the run. Digvesh Singh clips the stumps at the bowling end, with Jitesh Sharma clearly out of the crease and appeals for a MANKAD. The onfield umpire does go upstairs to have a look. The third umpire deems that Digvesh had completed his action before clipping the bails off. However, it turns out that Rishabh Pant has withdrawn the appeal and NOT OUT comes up on the screen. A good display of sportsmanship from the LSG skipper, and Jitesh Sharma, his opposite number, appreciates this as well by tapping on Pant's shoulder.