Punjab Kings will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Thursday, 28 May 2025.
The Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS topped the points table with 19 points and qualified for the playoffs after 11 years. They have a golden opportunity to seal a spot for the final with a comfortable win at home.
Virat Kohli is in fine form and looking forward to taking his side in the final of the IPL 2025 after 2016. The losing side will face the winner of the Eliminator in the second qualifier.
Jitesh Sharma is expected to lead RCB in the upcoming match as well after he played a captain's knock in the last league-stage game to help his side finish in the top two. Rajat Patidar may play as an impact player.
Punjab Kings Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Full Squads
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett, Praveen Dubey, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Blessing Muzarabani
As the stage for the first qualifier is set, let's take a look at three key player battles
1. Shreyas Iyer vs Krunal Pandya
Shreyas Iyer has made 514 runs this season and is the leading run-scorer for Punjab Kings. He likes to bat at number three and is comfortable batting against spin and pace, and with similar ease. He may look to target Krunal Pandya, who is a prime left-arm spinner for RCB.
Pandya has a variety of deliveries, and he will be ready to test Iyer's brilliance with his spin-trap.
2. Virat Kohli Vs Arshdeep Singh
Virat Kohli already has eight half-centuries this season in just 13 innings, and he will try to target Punjab's Arshdeep Singh, who usually comes to bowl in the powerplay and death overs. Singh has a knack for taking early wickets, and he may be a lethal option for Kohli. But RCB openers may also hit multiple boundaries to collect runs from his overs.
3. Prabhsimran Singh Vs Yash Dayal
Prabhsimran Singh comes to bat as an opener for Punjab Kings and has done well for them this season with his opening partner Priyansh Arya. Yash Dayal, who usually comes to bowl in powerplay and death overs, may pose a threat to Singh. He has a deadly yorker and an effective slower ball, which can be useful against Prabhsimran on Thursday.
