IPL 2025: Trophy-starved PBKS, RCB in final-bound faceoff

RCB and PBKS split the two league-phase meetings, each winning at the other's home. © BCCI
As far as narratives and sub-plots go, IPL 2025 could not have got a better match-up for the first qualifier with a final spot up for grabs. Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, two peas of a trophy-less pod, have often looked in from the outside longingly, at many-a title fights over the years.

It's not that the two franchises do not know what playing in an IPL final means. Kings XI Punjab - the erstwhile name of PBKS - finished runners-up in 2014, and RCB did it thrice in 2009, 2011 and 2016. The fans know and remember, and the management has lived the feeling of having the stakes multiplied infinitely. But the rigours and failures in the seasons since further amplify their achievement of 2025.

PBKS have consistently operated in a zone of mediocrity since George Bailey's side lost the title to KKR 11 seasons ago. RCB have been better, making it to the playoffs in five of the six seasons since 2020 but never as a top-two side. 2025 has been a breath of fresh, rarefied air for the two teams often associated with falling short. PBKS have hit a hard reset in personnel and mentality - the Ricky Ponting-Shreyas Iyer duo bringing swagger and identity to a side in desperate need of both. RCB, with a far more chiseled persona despite the absence of success not adding up, have pulled off an un-RCB like achievement of acing squad balance.

Heading into Q1, there's a spring to both their steps. PBKS secured their spot in the top two by trampling a fully-purring, familiarly-daunting Mumbai Indians in the last league game. RCB, meanwhile, showed a raging hunger to secure the cushion of the first qualifier in Lucknow just a day ago where they were pushed to the hilt in a chase. That said, momentum can get rendered inconsequential in knockout sports. Ask RCB of 2024. Their 2025 selves, armed with renewed vigour, cross paths with another title-hungry entity, all in a bid to get closer to vacating the glory-less void they currently co-inhabit.

When:Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Qualifier 1, May 29, 2025, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh

What to expect: A hot evening, and an inclination to bat first? The average first innings score at the venue this year has been 173, with three of the four games won by the team setting the target.

Head to head:PBKS 18 - 17 RCB. They've played twice this season, winning one game apiece. The last time they met, at this venue, RCB came up trumps en route to an unprecedented away record of seven wins in seven. It must be said, however, that RCB will be without the services of their best batter that night in Chandigarh - Devdutt Padikkal - in the first qualifier.

Team Watch:

Punjab Kings

Injury/Unavailability: Marco Jansen has returned home to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia, starting on June 11 in London. Azmatullah Omarzai should take his spot in the first qualifier.

Tactics & Match-ups: Arshdeep Singh vs RCB openers could be a face-off on tenterhooks. The left-armer has conceded just 25 off 34 balls to Phil Salt while having dismissed him four times in the process. Kohli however, has taken the bowler apart in this format - hitting 93 off 51 deliveries.

PBKS might be tempted to bring Yuzvendra Chahal into the mix, despite his ordinary season so far. The leggie has tamed the otherwise free-spirited Jitesh Sharma in this format - getting him out four times in 39 deliveries for 43 runs. He has also dismissed Mayank Agarawal seven times in this format in 55 balls. In 9 fixtures against his former team, he has 9 wickets and an economy rate of 7.77.

Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Injury/Unavailability: After a Q1-securing knock in Jaipur, Jitesh offered more music to the ears of RCB supporters during the presentation in Lucknow. "Josh Hazlewood is fit now. He will probably play in the knockouts," he said. Should he still miss out, RCB can go with Nuwan Thushara, who gave a good account of himself (1-26 in 4 overs) in the last league game against LSG.

RCB are likely to be without Tim David, who appeared to hurt his hamstring in the game against SRH on May 23. He missed the LSG fixture. It also remains to be seen if Rajat Patidar continues as an impact substitute with Jitesh leading the side.

Tactics & Match-ups: Being able to break PBKS' opening stand early goes a long way in clipping their batting wings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dismissed Prabhsimran Singh four times in 46 balls in all T20s, and will be trusted to do it one more time on Thursday. He also has favourable numbers against Shreyas Iyer - 45 runs off 50 balls, 3 dismissals. Bhuvneshwar also has a dot ball percentage of 50.6 in the PowerPlay - bettered only by three others this season (Josh Hazlewood, Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Siraj).

Should Hazlewood be fit and ready to go, he is an option against the PBKS skipper too - having dismissed him thrice in 19 deliveries.

Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara/Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Did you know:

- In chases this season, Virat Kohli has scored 342 runs in 6 innings at an average of 114 and strike rate of 144.30. Kohli also has 1104 runs in 34 innings against Punjab in IPL, with one century and five fifties, at a strike rate of 133.49.

- Shreyas Iyer is in the midst of a dream season - striking at 148.38, 164.57 and 216.12 in the PowerPlay, middle overs (7-15) and the death respectively. He however, has two single-digit scores against RCB this season.

- PBKS v RCB will be a PowerPlay battle - PBKS have the second-best scoring rate in the phase at 10.02. RCB meanwhile, have the lowest economy rate (8.79), the highest dot ball percentage (43.5) and have conceded the second-fewest sixes (28) in this phase.

What they said:

"We have a camaraderie from the last few years, he (Ponting) lets me be decisive on the field, all these things have culminated in a great way. Ecstatic that everything is working." - Shreyas Iyer on his relationship with Ricky Ponting at PBKS

"I can't express my thoughts, I was thinking about just staying in the present. When Virat got out I thought of taking the game deep and that is what my mentor (Dinesh Karthik) tells me.. that the kind of calibre I have, I can finish the game from any situation." - Jitesh Sharma on his 33-ball 85* against LSG that earned RCB a spot in Q1.