In the much-anticipated Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) locked horns with crucial changes in their line-ups. RCB welcomed captain Rajat Patidar back to full fitness, along with Josh Hazlewood, who returned to the playing XI. Patidar, who had been absent from the captaincy in the last two games, won the toss and opted to bowl first. RCB, who had won all seven of their away games in the league stage, took the field as the away team in this high-stakes match.
Despite these positive returns, RCB was still without Tim David, who had suffered a hamstring injury in their penultimate league match.
On the other hand, PBKS had a few changes of their own. They were still without Yuzvendra Chahal and also lost Marco Jansen to the South Africa Test squad. Azmatullah Omarzai came in to replace Jansen. New Chandigarh had been PBKS’s home ground during the league stage, but they had struggled at home, winning only two out of four games, with captain Shreyas Iyer scoring just 25 runs in those matches.
A Historic Playoff: Maiden Title On The Line
This match marked a historic moment for both teams. RCB’s top-two finish was their first since 2016, while PBKS reached the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Both teams were searching for their first-ever IPL title, with the added benefit for the loser of having a second chance at the final. PBKS finished the league stage tied on points with RCB, with PBKS leading on net run rate.
Line-ups for Qualifier 1
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
- Priyansh Arya
- Prabhsimran Singh
- Josh Inglis (wk)
- Shreyas Iyer (capt.)
- Nehal Wadhera
- Shashank Singh
- Marcus Stoinis
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Harpreet Brar
- Kyle Jamieson
- Arshdeep Singh
Impact Sub Options:
Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt
- Rajat Patidar (capt.)
- Liam Livingstone
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Yash Dayal
- Josh Hazlewood
- Suyash Sharma
Impact Sub Options:
Mayank Agarwal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh
Both teams were determined to secure a spot in the IPL 2025 final, and Qualifier 1 was poised to offer an exciting battle.
