Preview: Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 offers a gripping narrative as Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru—two long-time title hopefuls—clash with a final berth on the line. Both sides carry the weight of history, having come close but never clinched the trophy. PBKS, revitalized under Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, face an RCB outfit that has finally found squad balance and consistency. With the head-to-head record almost even and both teams splitting their league encounters, the stakes couldn’t be higher. In the heat of Mullanpur, one of these glory-starved sides edges closer to ending their drought.
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh
Date & Time: May 29, 07:30 PM LOCAL
Pitch & weather Report:The Ekana pitch in Lucknow remains unpredictable, with its nature hinging on the soil type. A red soil surface, like in RCB’s last clash against SRH, tends to favour batters with good bounce. In contrast, a black soil pitch offers grip and turn, bringing spinners like Krunal Pandya and Digvesh Rathi into play. Weather-wise, it’s expected to be a hot and clear day, with temperatures peaking at 35°C in the afternoon before cooling to around 31°C by match time.
RCB Probable XI: 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
LSG Probable XI: 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
