Punjab Kings have three wins in last five games. They won their last match, Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad. Shreyas Iyer played a captain's knock to take his team over the line. He scored 87 runs off just 41 balls.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru already qualified to the finals after a strong win over Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 1. They have four wins in the last five games. Their strongest performance came in the last match against Punjab Kings where they won the match by 8 wickets. Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each.
The pitch of Narendra Modi Stadium is good for both batting and bowling. In 44 matches played on this ground, the team batting second has won 22 times. This venue has always favoured the chasing team. In the last match Punjab Kings chased down a total over 200 against Mumbai Indians. The average score of the team batting first is 180. The average score of the second innings is 164, which is a little less. Meaning if a good total is obtained by batting first, then the chances of winning the match increase. On this ground Punjab Kings have scored 243 runs which is the highest, and Gujarat Titans were all out for just 89, which is the lowest score. So runs are made on this pitch but wickets also fall.
The equation between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore has always been close. Out of the 36 matches played between them, both teams have won 18 matches each.
In 2025, both had won one match each in the league stage, but Royal Challengers Bangalore balanced the lead by defeating PBKS in Qualifier 1. In the previous match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings' batting collapsed and they lost the match by 8 wickets. This result added another exciting chapter to the head-to-head rivalry of RCB vs PBKS.
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
Shreyas Iyer has scored just 11 runs from 22 balls against Josh Hazlewood. He got out 4 times which includes two dismissals in this season in back-to-back two matches. This will be an exciting battle to watch in this match. If Iyer keeps his wicket safe against Hazlewood, this could be the game for PBKS.
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) has shown amazing performance in the middle overs. He has scored 603 runs in this IPL and his average is above 54.82. 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. Shreyas Iyer was the main batter for Punjab Kings in the last match against Mumbai Indians scoring 87 runs off just 41 balls.
Arshdeep Singh (PBKS) has taken 18 wickets in 16 matches. His yorkers and variations in the death overs turned matches for PBKS. His spell of 3/16 against Lucknow in Dharamsala is remembered by everyone. He took 2 wickets against MI on the Jaipur pitch as well. He becomes even more deadly when the ball swings.
Virat Kohli (RCB) has scored runs in almost every match this season. So far he has scored 614 runs with an average of 55.82 and a strike rate of 146.53. In many matches he has handled RCB's innings after fifty runs. Whenever the team needs a start, Virat handles it. His recent form is also strong like 54 against Lucknow, 43 against Hyderabad and 62 against CSK. When he stands at the crease, the fielders just keep picking the ball.
Phil Salt (RCB) has scored 387 runs in this IPL with a strike rate of 175.90. He played an attacking innings of 62 runs against Hyderabad where he made full use of the powerplay. His fearless approach gives a new boost to the top order of RCB. Whenever he bats, the ball is always outside the boundary. In the qualifier 1, Salt scored 56 runs off just 27 balls to finish the chase in just 10 overs.
Mayank Agarwal (RCB) has shown his impact in limited matches. He finished and handled the anchoring knock of 41* against Lucknow. His domestic form was also solid where he scored 90+ runs and played a double innings of 6 runs in first-class cricket. When he is given time, he is a master in building an innings. He has scored a total of 71 runs in three matches with an average of 35.50.
Nehal Wadhera (PBKS) has scored 354 runs coming in the lower order. He has an average of 32.18 and his 70-run knock against RR in Jaipur was the most impactful. When the team is collapsing, Nehal calmly rebuilds. There is a balance in his batting patience as well as power. He scored an important innings of 48 runs in the last match against Mumbai Indians to help his team qualify for the finals.
Liam Livingston has had the worst IPL career this season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He has scored a total of 87 runs in nine matches with a highest of 54. He holds an average of 14.50 which is below the par and standards of a batting all-rounder in IPL. He can be replaced by Tim David in this match so avoid Liam in your dream11 teams.
Kyle Jamieson’s recent form is not good and he is also coming off a bad season in Pakistan in the PSL. His last best performance was against Pakistan in the five match T20 series between New Zealand and Pakistan. He took three wickets in that match but that was in New Zealand’s conditions. Indian conditions will not support Jamieson. You can avoid him in your dream11 team.
Keeper: Phil Salt, Josh Inglis
Batters: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Priyansh Arya, Mayank Aggarwal
All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood
Keeper: Josh Inglis
Batters: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Priyansh Arya, Mayank Agarwal
All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Josh Hazlewood
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