PBKS vs RCB Match Prediction: IPL 2025, Qualifier 1 – Who Will Win Today’s IPL Match Between PBKS vs RCB?

PBKS vs RCB Betting Tips

The Punjab Kings will look to make it to their first IPL final in 11 years as they play Qualifier 1 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. The winner of this match will gain direct entry to the finals, while the loser will play Qualifier 2 on Sunday.

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Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Head-to-Head Record

The two teams have faced each other in 35 matches to date. The Punjab Kings won 18 while the Royal Challengers Bangalore won 17.

Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Live-streaming and Broadcast

This match can be watched live on the JioHotstar App and Star Sports Network. You can find information about every single major match being played around the world on ocbscores.com.

PBKS vs RCB Team Previews

Punjab Kings

After a string of poor performances lasting over a decade, the Punjab Kings managed to break the jinx and finished in the top two after 11 years. While there is much to celebrate, the Kings will hope to make it to the finals through this match itself.

Shreyas Iyer has been in excellent form in the middle order and has scored 5 half-centuries so far. He is also the leading run-scorer for the Punjab Kings. In addition to his batting, Iyer’s leadership skills have also been one of the key factors in Punjab’s meteoric rise this year.

Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have been pretty consistent at the top of the order and will hope to give the Kings yet another good start. The move to promote Josh Inglis to the number-3 slot in the last match paid off well as he scored a blistering 73 runs. In addition, the Kings also have the services of Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis lower down the order. The bowling has been one of the weaknesses for Punjab.

Arshdeep Singh is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 18 wickets but has been expensive at times. With the team set to miss out on Marco Jansen, who is their second-highest wicket-taker, for the rest of the tournament, more will be expected from Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed the last couple of matches due to a niggle, could make a comeback here and join Harpreet Brar in the spin department.

Punjab Kings Expected Playing 11

Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Just like their opponents for this match, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have played some excellent cricket as well. They defeated the Lucknow Super Giants in a thrilling encounter on Tuesday and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in 6 years. However, this is the first time they finished in the top two since 2016.

Virat Kohli’s sensational run this season continues as he slammed his 8th half-century in 13 innings. He is now among the top run-getters of the tournament. He, along with Phil Salt will look to give RCB a brisk start yet again.

Jitesh Sharma, who was having a lukewarm run so far, scored a brilliant half-century in the last match and has further strengthened the middle order. He will be joined by Rajat Patidar and Mayank Agarwal. Liam Livingstone couldn’t contribute with the bat and could be replaced by Tim David.

With Josh Hazlewood available for selection, the Royal Challengers will have to drop either Nuwan Thushara or Suyash Sharma to accommodate him. Krunal Pandya continues to lead the spin department with 15 wickets.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Expected Playing 11

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma (C & WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Romario Shepherd, Mayank Agarwal

PBKS vs RCB Toss Prediction

5 of the last 9 matches played here have been won while batting first. In 6 of those games, the captain winning the toss opted to field first. However, we feel that batting first might be a better option here.

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The Mullanpur stadium has hosted 4 matches this season and a couple of them have been high-scoring affairs. It has been more than one month since the venue hosted an IPL match and we expect a fresh surface. Judging by the wickets we have seen thus far, we can expect a good batting track with plenty of runs. The pitch is likely to be flat and hard, offering excellent pace and bounce. There will be some grass as well, allowing the ball to skid through.

The bowlers need to vary their pace if they want to trouble the batsmen. The weather is likely to be cloudy but there isn’t a forecast for rain. The weather will remain warm with temperatures around 30 degrees.

PBKS vs RCB: Who Will Win?

The Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have both played well and are fully deserving of playing in Qualifier 1. There is very little separating the two at this moment and it will be two strong batting lineups going at each other. In such situations, it is often the bowling that ends up being the differentiator.

PBKS vs RCB win percentage stands at 50% in favor of both teams right now!

Todays IPL Match Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Win.