The IPL is now reaching its climax, with the playoffs beginning on Thursday. Punjab Kings , led by Shreyas Iyer, have qualified for the business end of the tournament for the first time since 2014 and now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur.
Their position was fortified after Jitesh Sharma’s brilliant 33-ball 85-run blitz helped them defeat Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium.
Gujarat Titans will compete against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday at the same venue before the caravan moves to Ahmedabad for the eliminator and final.
RCB’s fortunes turned for the better on Tuesday night in Lucknow, where Jitesh’s outstanding performance helped them hunt down a target of 228 by the 19th over despite being 123-4 in the 12th following the dismissal of Virat Kohli .
What will also delight the three-time finalists is the fact that a team that was traditionally top-heavy and lacked in finishers achieved the feat on the strength of their middle order, with Jitesh and Mayank Agarwal shining.
Hazlewood back
RCB will also welcome the return of pace ace Josh Hazlewood. Despite missing several matches due to a shoulder niggle, the Australian fast bowler leads RCB’s wicket-taking charts with 18 dismissals in 10 matches at 17.27. Partnering with old warhorse Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the pair has added teeth to the RCB pace attack, traditionally their Achilles heel.
Phil Salt’s aggressive batting and Kohli’s impressive form (602 runs in 13 matches at 60.20, with eight fifties) provide extra fillip to RCB. Despite having a trophy laden career, the IPL crown has been missing from Kohli’s cabinet and the 2025 campaign provides another opportunity.
Qualifier-1 presents a significant leadership challenge for Shreyas Iyer, who aims to secure his third consecutive title as captain, following his success with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year in the IPL and with Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
What will aid both teams is second crack at reaching the final if they lose this one. Punjab Kings have the added advantage of home support in Mullanpur. They will also benefit from an extra day of rest, a privilege not available to RCB, who played on Tuesday and travelled on Wednesday.
Punjab to miss Jansen
The Punjab Kings, reaching the playoffs after 11 years, have flourished under the captaincoach combo of Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting. Their opening partnership of Prabhsimran Singh (499 runs) and Priyansh Arya (424 runs) has been exceptional. The batting lineup is further strengthened by Iyer, the innovative Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis.
The hosts though will experience a setback as they will lose the services of Marco Jansen. The tall left-arm seamer will depart to prepare for the World Test Championship final against Australia. However, Kyle Jamieson showed against Mumbai Indians that he can be a worthy replacement. The gifted Azmatullah Omarzai too will be expected to fill Jansen’s void. Jansen has been a solid contributor with the ball, bagging 16 wickets in 14 matches at 27.12.
What the Kings will welcome is leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s return from injury. Add leftarm-spinner Harpreet Brar and Arshdeep Singh (18 wickets in 14 matches) to the attack, and the bowling unit looks formidable.
Their position was fortified after Jitesh Sharma’s brilliant 33-ball 85-run blitz helped them defeat Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium.
Gujarat Titans will compete against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on Friday at the same venue before the caravan moves to Ahmedabad for the eliminator and final.
RCB’s fortunes turned for the better on Tuesday night in Lucknow, where Jitesh’s outstanding performance helped them hunt down a target of 228 by the 19th over despite being 123-4 in the 12th following the dismissal of Virat Kohli .
What will also delight the three-time finalists is the fact that a team that was traditionally top-heavy and lacked in finishers achieved the feat on the strength of their middle order, with Jitesh and Mayank Agarwal shining.
Hazlewood back
RCB will also welcome the return of pace ace Josh Hazlewood. Despite missing several matches due to a shoulder niggle, the Australian fast bowler leads RCB’s wicket-taking charts with 18 dismissals in 10 matches at 17.27. Partnering with old warhorse Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the pair has added teeth to the RCB pace attack, traditionally their Achilles heel.
Phil Salt’s aggressive batting and Kohli’s impressive form (602 runs in 13 matches at 60.20, with eight fifties) provide extra fillip to RCB. Despite having a trophy laden career, the IPL crown has been missing from Kohli’s cabinet and the 2025 campaign provides another opportunity.
Qualifier-1 presents a significant leadership challenge for Shreyas Iyer, who aims to secure his third consecutive title as captain, following his success with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year in the IPL and with Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
What will aid both teams is second crack at reaching the final if they lose this one. Punjab Kings have the added advantage of home support in Mullanpur. They will also benefit from an extra day of rest, a privilege not available to RCB, who played on Tuesday and travelled on Wednesday.
Punjab to miss Jansen
The Punjab Kings, reaching the playoffs after 11 years, have flourished under the captaincoach combo of Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting. Their opening partnership of Prabhsimran Singh (499 runs) and Priyansh Arya (424 runs) has been exceptional. The batting lineup is further strengthened by Iyer, the innovative Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis.
'Jitesh Sharma was spectacular': Mayank Agarwal after RCB's win vs LSG
The hosts though will experience a setback as they will lose the services of Marco Jansen. The tall left-arm seamer will depart to prepare for the World Test Championship final against Australia. However, Kyle Jamieson showed against Mumbai Indians that he can be a worthy replacement. The gifted Azmatullah Omarzai too will be expected to fill Jansen’s void. Jansen has been a solid contributor with the ball, bagging 16 wickets in 14 matches at 27.12.
What the Kings will welcome is leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s return from injury. Add leftarm-spinner Harpreet Brar and Arshdeep Singh (18 wickets in 14 matches) to the attack, and the bowling unit looks formidable.
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