After having a brilliant league stage in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Punjab Kings take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Qualifier 1 at the new PCA stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer with Ricky Ponting as head coach, Punjab Kings have been prolific in IPL 2025, finishing on top in table.
On the other hand, RCB too have been at the best with Rajat Patidar at helm. With Virat Kohli scoring the bulk of the runs, along with useful contributions from the entire team, RCB will be eyeing to break the trophy drought.
PBKS vs RCB team news
RCB: With Jitesh Sharma confirming Josh Hazlewood is ‘fit now’, RCB would hope the Australian to deliver against Punjab Kings. In case Hazlewood misses out, Nuwan Thushara will make the playing XI.
However, it remains to be seen whether captain Rajat Patidar will be available full time. In the past two games, Patidar played as an impact player with Jitesh captaining the side.
Punjab Kings: They will be without the services of Marco Jansen, who left for South Africa to prepare for World Test Championship final against Australia. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai is expected to take his spot in Qualifier 1.
Having missed their previous match against Mumbai Indians due to an injury, Yuzvendra Chahal is expected to be available against RCB. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will be looking to exploit Phil Salt by throwing Arshdeep Singh in front of the Englishman. The left-arm season just conceded 25 runs off 34 balls to Salt, while dismissing him four times.
PBKS vs RCB head-to-head in IPL
Punjab Kings enjoy a narrow 18-17 head-to-head lead over RCB in the history of IPL. In IPL 2025, RCB played twice with Punjab Kings with both teams winnings one game each. Notably, this will be the first time both these teams will be meeting each other in IPL playoffs.
PBKS vs RCB probable playing XIs
Punjab Kings: 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: 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
Stay updated on all the action from theIPL 2025. Check theIPL 2025 Schedule, track the latestIPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with theOrange Cap andPurple Cap.
