Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Punjab Kings in the 1st qualifier of the ongoing season on 29th May at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
Match Preview:
With a final seat up for grabs, the first qualification for IPL 2025 could not have come at a better time in terms of narratives and subplots. Two peas in a trophy-less pod, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have frequently watched numerous title matches from the sidelines with desire.
It’s not that the two teams are unaware of the significance of competing in an IPL final. RCB won the title three times in 2009, 2011, and 2016, while Kings XI Punjab, the former name of PBKS, came in second in 2014. The management has experienced what it’s like to have the stakes multiplied indefinitely, and the supporters are aware of it. However, their 2025 accomplishment is further enhanced by the challenges and setbacks in the next seasons.
Since George Bailey’s team fell to KKR 11 seasons ago, PBKS has continuously played in the middle. In five of the six seasons since 2020, RCB has advanced to the playoffs, but they have never finished in the top two. For the two teams who are frequently linked to failure, 2025 has been a welcome change.
With Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer providing swagger and identity to a team in dire need of both, PBKS has had a significant personnel and mentality reset. Despite their lack of success, RCB has a much more chiseled image and has achieved an un-RCB-like feat by mastering squad balance.
They both have a bounce in their steps as they enter Q1. In the final league game, PBKS crushed a fully-purring, familiar-daunting Mumbai Indians, securing their place in the top two. A day before, when they were pushed to the limit in a chase, RCB showed a fierce desire to secure the cushion of the first qualifier in Lucknow.
That being said, in knockout sports, momentum can be negligible. Ask the 2024 RCB. Armed with newfound energy, their 2025 selves encounter another title-hungry being in an attempt to move closer to leaving the glory-less nothingness they currently share.
It is eminent to mention that RCB would be without their best batter Devdutt Padikkal whereas Punjab will miss the services of Marco Jansen who has returned to home to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship final.
Probable Playing XIIS:
Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Harpreet Brar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Suyash Sharma
Pitch and weather report:
A scorching night and a desire to bat first? This year, the average first innings score at the site has been 173, and the side has set the target in three of their four victories.
Head-to-head record:
PBKS and RCB have a closely contested head-to-head record, with PBKS slightly ahead at 18-17. This season, both teams have won one game each in their two encounters. In their last meeting at this venue, RCB emerged victorious, which was part of their remarkable away form where they achieved an unprecedented seven wins in seven matches.
Prediction:
It is so hard to predict as both sides are even. Given how RCB chased a total of 227 ,it might label them as favourites to win the qualifier.
Where to watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Afghanistan: ATN
MENA: Cricbuzz
