Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) put in a complete all-round performance to thrash Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Thursday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

As a result, RCB progressed to the final for the fourth time in their history. However, amid this performance, star batter Virat Kohli has come under severe scrutiny on social media for making an unsavoury reference towards Punjab Kings' young batter Musheer Khan during the high-profile contest.

When Musheer Khan walked out to bat in the ninth over of the innings, Virat Kohli was seen trying to get under the skin of the 20-year-old, who was making his debut in the T20 competition.

A video clip is now going viral in which Kohli is seen having an animated chat with his teammate. Positioned at the first slip, the former India captain can be seen having an animated chat with his teammate.

Fans are now claiming on social media that Kohli referenced Musheer Khan as a 'water-boy', saying, "Ye paani pilata hai." This happened when Musheer Khan was preparing to face his first delivery.

The incident has now sparked outrage online, with fans calling out Virat Kohli for being disrespectful towards a player who was playing his first IPL match.

Some fans, however, are claiming that Virat Kohli did not insult Musheer Khan as the former was just discussing how the young PBKS batter was serving drinks earlier in the match. This claim cannot be independently verified by Hindustan Times.

It must be mentioned that Musheer Khan was used as an impact sub in the contest against RCB after the Punjab Kings' batting order collapsed like a pack of cards. Musheer came out to the middle start after the strategic time-out, which was taken after the dismissal of Marcus Stoinis on the second ball of the ninth over.

This was the right-handed batter's first match in the ongoing IPL 2025.

Throughout the IPL 2025 season, Musheer Khan has been seen carrying the drinks around as he has not gotten a chance to play. Punjab Kings had picked the Mumbai batter up for INR 30 lakh in the mega auction.

Earlier this season, Virat Kohli had also gifted Musheer Khan a bat after the league stage match between PBKS and RCB. Musheer had then thanked the former India and RCB captain for presenting him with a bat. "A million thanks for the bat Virat Bhaiyya," he wrote on Instagram.

RCB thrash Punjab Kings in Mullanpur

Musheer Khan was unable to leave a lasting impression on his IPL debut as he was dismissed for a duck by Suyash Sharma in the ninth over of the innings. He lasted just three balls in the middle.

Put into bat, Punjab Kings were bundled out for 101 inside 15 overs. Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each. Yash Dayal also returned with two wickets.

RCB then chased the total down with eight wickets in hand and 60 balls to spare. Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar remained unbeaten on 56 and 15, respectively.

With this win, RCB qualified for their fourth final, their first since the 2016 season. The IPL 2025 final will be played on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.