"Things are coming back up together" - Former CSK all-rounder makes massive prediction on IPL 2025 winner ahead of PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1 clash
Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shane Watson has said that all signs indicate a historic maiden title triumph for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The three-time finalists are set to face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a crucial Qualifier 1 match in the playoffs in Mullanpur on Thursday, May 29.
The franchise earned a place in the top two after a record run chase against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last league stage match at the Ekana Stadium. This marks the first time that RCB will play the Qualifier 1 since the IPL 2016 campaign. The franchise took some major calls after their exit in the IPL 2024 playoffs.
RCB let go of major names like Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, and Mohammed Siraj, and chose only to retain three players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The franchise built a new side almost from scratch, largely skipping over the marquee players to land names like Phil Salt, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jitesh Sharma.
Shane Watson feels that despite a scratchy return after the tournament was suspended, the Rajat Patidar-led side have a massive chance to win the trophy, especially with Josh Hazlewood back from injury.
"The winner of IPL 2025, and I’ve been thinking long and hard about it, is RCB. And the Man of the Match for me is Virat Kohli, the great man. And here's the reason why. I just get a feeling that this is the time for RCB. They have had a few blips in the back end of the tournament, but with Josh Hazlewood coming back for the Playoffs, I get a feeling this is the year," Watson said on his X handle.
"With everything that's happened with Virat Kohli, announcing his retirement from Test cricket – amazing Test career that he had – I just think things are coming back up together. They are going to have to because Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians are going to be so hard to beat. I just feel MI are going to be the team RCB are going to have to play incredibly well against. They haven't got any weaknesses at all," Watson added.
While the top two sides are involved in Qualifier 1, the remaining two qualified teams, the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), will square off against each other in the Eliminator in Mullanpur on Friday, May 30.
RCB have qualified for the playoffs five times in the last six seasons
After a barren three-year run after their 2016 IPL final, the franchise have found consistency by qualifying for the playoffs every time since 2020, except for the 2023 campaign. The major difference between the ongoing season and their previous playoffs run is the fact that they have managed to finish in the top two.
In recent years, they have often failed to cross the Eliminator hurdle. The closest that got was during the 2022 season, where they made it to Qualifier 2, only to lose to the Rajasthan Royals (RR).