IPL 2025 Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Qualifier 1 Playing 11 Today

A clash of the maiden title contenders in our Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Qualifier 1 best Playing 11 for IPL 2025. 

70 matches of non-stop relentless drama on the field, and we have our top 2 teams on the points table, who will be up against each other for the first showdown of the IPL 2025 Playoffs, the Qualifier 1. On one hand, we have a team that has qualified for the Playoffs after 10 years, Punjab Kings, and on the other hand, we have a team that is yet to win an IPL Trophy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Punjab Kings are first on the points table, and the duo of Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting should be given a lot of credit for their success. Never did Punjab Kings look so potent in the field. There has been a complete overhaul of the Punjab Kings side, and the management and leadership are the main reasons for it. The team literally has 6 uncapped players in their starting 11, and even with such a scenario, they have done fantastically well to be able to finish as the table toppers.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile have been brilliant themselves. Match-on-match they found new winners that have done brilliantly well for them in the tournament. Be it Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar, RCB have not been riding on a few players, but the entire team has contributed to their success in some or the other way.

Key Match Details

Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025

Match Details: Qualifier 1 – PBKS vs RCB 

Where: New Chandigarh

When: May 29, 2025, 7:30 pm IST

The Qualifier 1 shall be played in New Chandigarh, which also happens to be the home ground of Punjab Kings. The ground in general has been a high-scoring venue, and with both teams filled with powerpack batting, expect this to be a solid contest. However, the Playoffs pressure will be crucial to determine what score we can expect. The last match between both teams was at this venue, which RCB won comfortably on account of Virat Kohli’s solid fifty. 

IPL 2025 Official Squad and Players List for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Batters: Harnoor Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh & Shreyas Iyer

WKs: Josh Inglis (o), Prabsimran Singh & Vishnu Vinod

All-rounders: Aaron Hardie (o), Azmatullah Omerzai (o), Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen (o), Marcus Stoinis (o), Mitchell Owen (o), Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera & Suryansh Shedge

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Kyle Jamieson (o), Pravin Dubey, Vyshak Vijakumar, Xavier Barlett (o), Yash Thakur & Yuzvendra Chahal

Punjab Kings have had a consistent playing 11 in almost all the matches they have played so far. But the team will face a big blow in the Playoffs as their star all-rounder, Marco Jansen is set to leave for the national duties. With Marco Jansen not there, PBKS may contemplate bringing in Azmatullah Omarzai as a like-for-like replacement. The team will also be without Yuzvendra Chahal, who seems to be recovering from an injury. Aside from this change, Punjab Kings should persist with the same playing 11. 

IPL 2025 PBKS vs RCB Best Playing 11 for Punjab Kings

1. Prabsimran Singh
2. Priyansh Arya
3. Josh Inglis (wk)
4. Shreyas Iyer (c)
5. Nehal Wadhera
6. Shashank Singh
7. Marcus Stoinis
8. Azmatullah Omarzai
9. Harpreet Brar
10. Kyle Jamieson
11. Arshdeep Singh

Best Impact Player: Vyshak Vijaykumar

IPL 2025 Final Squad and Players List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Batters: Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar, Swastik Chikara, Tim David (o) & Virat Kohli

WKs: Jitesh Sharma, Tim Seifert (o) & Phil Salt (o)

All-rounders: Jacob Bethell (o), Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee, Romario Shephard (o) & Swapnil Singh

Bowlers: Abhinandan Singh, Blessing Muzarabani (o), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood (o), Lungi Ngidi (o), Nuwan Thushara (o), Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma & Yash Dayal

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru played the last group stage match without two of their frontline players, Tim David and Josh Hazlewood. While David has been recovering from a recent injury, Hazlewood was given rest to be able to be fit for the Playoffs. It looks like both will be available for Qualifier 1, and if that’s the case, they should come in for Liam Livingstone and Nuwan Thushara respectively. With these two added, RCB look like a solid squad that can challenge the Punjab Kings team. 

IPL 2025 PBKS vs RCB Best Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

1. Phil Salt
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rajat Patidar (c)
4. Mayank Agarwal
5. Jitesh Sharma (wk)
6. Tim David
7. Romario Shephard
8. Krunal Pandya
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
10. Josh Hazlewood
11. Yash Dayal

Best Impact Player: Suyash Sharma

Top Fantasy Dream Playing 11 for PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 

Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer & Priyansh Arya

Wks: Josh Inglis, Prabsimran Singh & Phil Salt

All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis & Romario Shephard

Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood & Arshdeep Singh 

CVC Choice: Virat Kohli & Shreyas Iyer

So, that’s about the best possible playing 11 for PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025. Overall, RCB look strong on paper if Tim and Hazlewood play, and Jansen not there for PBKS. But Punjab Kings have a home advantage, and that gives them some bounty points. At the same time, RCB won their last match on this venue against the same team. So, overall, this promises to be a solid contest that will bring the best out of both teams.  

Thanks for reading! What’s your best playing 11 for the PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1  of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

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