New Chandigarh, May 29 (IANS) Though the pacers laid the foundation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to bowl out Punjab Kings for just 101, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma ensured the run squeeze was on in the middle overs with his incredible 3-17.

The googly was Suyash’s lethal weapon on a used pitch at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium to take out Shashank Singh, Musheer Khan, and Marcus Stoinis in blazing fashion and ensure RCB has one foot firmly in playing the title clash on June 3 in Ahmedabad.

“We executed the plans that the coaches gave us. Today I felt good (with the ball). Was feeling very good today while bowling. Felt like batters did not pick the googly. The chat was that this was a semifinal, but we would take it like a normal game. I have worked hard on my bowling. The previous game we played here helped us,” said Suyash in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.

In last year’s mega auction, RCB picked Suyash for INR 2.6 crore, and so far, that investment has paid off with the New Delhi-based leg-spinner picking eight wickets in 13 matches at an average of 52.87 and an economy rate of 8.81.

Before gaining success with RCB, Suyash had represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the previous two IPL seasons. He made his IPL debut as a 19-year-old in 2023 and picked up ten wickets in 11 games. But Suyash played only two games and had wicketless returns in KKR’s victorious IPL 2024 campaign.

During the 2025 edition, Suyash had revealed on RCB’s social media accounts that he was suffering from multiple hernias ahead of IPL 2025 and that the franchise had sent him to London to undergo surgery. Suyash had recalled that he was expected to play only after RCB’s three or four games, but eventually began playing for them from the tournament opener against KKR at the Eden Gardens on March 22.

–IANS

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