PBKS vs RCB Match Prediction, Playing 11

PBKS vs RCB Match Prediction: The IPL 2025 has now gone beyond its originally scheduled date of the final, which was May 25. That is because of the one-week enforced break earlier this month due to the Indo-Pak border issues. We are, though, not far away from the tournament’s conclusion as the playoffs are set to begin on Thursday.

The Qualifier 1 will be played between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Both teams had sealed their places in Qualifier 1 with a win in their last league game. Both also finished the league phase with 19 points each, with Punjab having a slightly better NRR than RCB’s.

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PBKS vs RCB head-to-head:

PBKS and RCB have a very close record in the IPL. They have clashed 35 times, of which PBKS won 18 games and RCB won 17 times. This season, they have met twice already, with both teams winning the away game.

PBKS vs RCB date and time:

Date: May 29, Thursday
Venue: Ekana Stadium, Lucknow
Time: 7:30 PM IST / 02:00 PM GMT / 7:30 PM LOCAL

PBKS vs RCB injury and availability news:

All four franchises are losing some players from the playoffs due to national duties. RCB will be without Jacob Bethell and Lungi Ngidi, though neither of them was their first-choice player. Phil Salt is available, and Josh Hazlewood is expected to play in Qualifier 1, giving a massive boost to the RCB bowling attack. Tim David missed RCB’s last game due to an injury, but he could feature against PBKS.

Punjab’s bowling will be dented by the departure of Marco Jansen. They roped in Kyle Jamieson earlier as the replacement for Lockie Ferguson. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal missed Punjab’s last two matches due to an issue with his right wrist, but he is likely to play in the playoffs.

Also Read: PBKS vs RCB Dream11 Prediction

Predicted PBKS vs RCB Playing 11 (plus impact sub):

PBKS predicted XII:

Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Jamieson, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh

RCB predicted XII:

Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma

PBKS vs RCB pitch report:

In IPL 2025, Mullanpur threw up two high-scoring games on flat surfaces, and then the next two matches were played on two-paced surfaces with plenty of help for both pacers and spinners.

The playoffs are expected to be played on true and good pitches. So expect a run-fest in Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur.

PBKS vs RCB Top Captaincy Picks:

The top captaincy picks in the PBKS vs RCB match will be Josh Inglis, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings: 3 players to watch out for:

The 3 players to watch out for in PBKS vs RCB are Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, and Priyansh Arya.

PBKS vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win today?

For the PBKS vs RCB prediction, we predict that PBKS will defeat RCB in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025.