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In a rare occurrence in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Tim David was awarded the Player of the Match despite his team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), suffering a five-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match No. 34 of the 2025 season. The contest, played on Friday, April 18, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, was shortened due to rain and proved to be a low-scoring yet action-packed affair.
RCB’s top-order collapse and Tim David’s counter-attacking brilliance
The match got off to a nightmarish start for RCB after showers delayed proceedings and the game was reduced to 14 overs per side. Put in to bat first, the RCB top and middle order collapsed under pressure, crumbling to 42 for 7 in just 8.2 overs. With the pitch under the covers prior to the match, batting was tricky, but the RCB batters were unable to adapt. None of the first seven batters crossed double digits, failing to rotate strike or counter PBKS’s disciplined bowling. The collective contribution of the rest of the batting unit was just 44 runs off 70 balls, a statistic that highlighted the magnitude of RCB’s struggles.
Enter David, the lone warrior in an otherwise battered batting lineup. The Australian power-hitter showcased tremendous composure and awareness, assessing the conditions smartly before launching into an aggressive counterattack. He smashed a brilliant 50 off only 26 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and three towering sixes, helping RCB recover from the brink of total humiliation to post 95 for 9, a total that at least gave the bowlers something to defend in the 14-over contest.
Why David won the player of the match?
It’s not often that a player from the losing team earns the POTM award, but in this case, it was fully justified:
- David scored 50 off 26 balls, more than half of RCB’s entire team total.
- He scored at a strike rate of 192.3, while the rest of the team struck at just 62.85 collectively.
- He helped his team recover from 42/7 to post a semi-competitive total of 95/9.
- He was also involved in the field, taking two crucial catches.
- His effort highlighted not just skill, but also mental resilience, game awareness, and commitment, even when the chips were down.
It was David’s explosive back-foot play, clean ball-striking, and calculated shot selection that stood out. He not only took on the spinners but also tackled pace with maturity, understanding when to accelerate and when to consolidate. His innings made up more than 52% of the team’s total score, underlining just how important his knock was in the context of the game. David also made a mark in the field, taking two sharp catches during PBKS’s innings. While those contributions weren’t enough to change the outcome of the game, they reinforced the value he brought to RCB across departments. Despite the eventual loss, his all-round impact was unmissable.
Despite ending up on a losing side, Tim David bags the Player of the Match 💪#TimDavid #RCBvsPBKS #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/yDxBA8kWn8
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) April 18, 2025
Delighted that the player of the match last night was Tim David. He was the best player on view even if his team lost and that is how it should be. Too often we limit the award to a player from the winning side and get very strange outcomes. Like this one: Kathryn Bryce scores…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 19, 2025
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