Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a high-stakes IPL 2025 clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday.
Both teams enter the contest on the back of morale-boosting victories—RCB recently chased down 174 with ease against Rajasthan Royals. At the same time, PBKS pulled off a historic defence of just 112 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, marking the lowest total ever defended in IPL history.
Despite RCB’s impressive overall form this season—they sit third on the points table with four wins from six matches—they have struggled at home, losing both of their previous games in Bengaluru.
Their batting, led by Virat Kohli and Phil Salt, has been strong, but the team has yet to unlock a winning formula at their home ground.
RCB’s bowlers, including Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood, will need to adapt quickly to the batting-friendly conditions at Chinnaswamy, where short boundaries and potential dew in the second innings make defending totals challenging.
Punjab Kings, currently fourth in the standings, have shown resilience, particularly in away matches.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer has excelled on the road, and the team will be buoyed by Yuzvendra Chahal’s recent four-wicket haul, especially as he returns to a venue where he has enjoyed past success.
PBKS’s bowling attack, featuring Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh, will look to exploit any vulnerabilities in the RCB’s lineup.
Historically, the head-to-head record is nearly even, with PBKS holding a slight edge at 17 wins to RCB’s 16 from 33 encounters.
Both teams are expected to field strong XI’s, with RCB likely to rely on the in-form Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, and Rajat Patidar, while PBKS will look to Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh, and Chahal to make an impact.
With both sides eager to solidify their playoff ambitions and RCB desperate to end their home losing streak, Friday’s match promises to be a closely fought battle between two well-matched teams.
