Punjab Kings have won 3 of their last 5 matches and reached the final by defeating Mumbai in Qualifier 2. Shreyas Iyer played a tremendous captain's knock of 87 runs. On the other hand, RCB had already made it to the final by defeating PBKS by 8 wickets in Qualifier 1. Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood took 3-3 wickets and RCB have won 4 of their last 5 matches.
RCB has shown amazing form this season. Rajat Patidar led the team and they have won the match away from defeat which has happened for the first time in IPL history. Virat Kohli is in top form who has scored 600+ runs. Josh Hazlewood and Dayal have given good support in bowling. The team's confidence is high and they have already defeated PBKS before the final.
PBKS made a strong comeback after a slow start to the season. Shreyas Iyer handled the team like a good captain. Youngsters like Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh scored runs in important matches. Chahal and Arshdeep maintained control in bowling. If the top order plays well then Punjab can challenge RCB in the final.
A total of 36 matches have been played between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL. To everyone’s surprise RCB and Punjab have won the same number of matches 18 against each other out of 36 matches. The match between the two teams is always fierce and close. Today also both the teams will play with full strength and will try their best to win the trophy.
Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Impact Players: Mayank Agarwal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.
Injury Updates: None
Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Players: Prabhsimran Singh, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlet, Harpreet Brar
Injury Update: None
If Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and choose to bowl first, Punjab Kings are expected to score 50-55 runs in the powerplay and post a total of 195-200 runs. As RCB will chase in this scenario, they are expected to win this match.
If Punjab Kings win the toss and also decide to bowl first, RCB are projected to have a strong start with 55-65 runs in the powerplay and go on to score 200-210 runs in total. Even in this case, the chasing team is predicted to win the match.
In both situations, the chasing team is expected to win the match.
Shreyas Iyer has shown amazing performance in the middle overs. He has scored 514 runs in this IPL and his average is above 51. His innings of 53 against DC in Jaipur and 72 against CSK showed that he remains cool under pressure. His shot selection and calmness have become the biggest strength of PBKS' middle order. His batting is worth watching when he dances against spin. He has played the biggest role in the team's success this season. In the qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, Shreyas Iyer scored 87 runs off just 41 balls to finish the match with one over spare. He is the best player to watch out for in this match alongside Virat Kohli.
Arshdeep Singh has taken 21 wickets in 11 matches. His yorkers and variations in the death overs turned matches for RCB. He has been RCB’s most lethal weapon in this season with his economical bowling in every situation of the match. This fixture against Punjab Kings is Josh Hazlewood’s favourite one. He has taken a total of seven wickets against Punjab Kings in this season in just two games. Josh will be the key if RCB wins their first trophy in 18 years.
The match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings will be the most iconic and history making match in IPL history. IPL will get its newest champion this season. Any one team will be crowned champions for the first team in the history of IPL. This is proper cinema and a high pressure contest between two of the most successful teams of IPL 2025. This match will be won by the chasing team as per our prediction.
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