RCB vs PBKS Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2025 match?
From Glenn Maxwell to Liam Livingstone, from Jitesh Sharma to Yuzvendra Chahal - emotions are bound to be mixed when Match 34 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) commences. The clash between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) pits certain players against the teams whose threads they once used to wear.
Interestingly, despite their stunning away form, Bengaluru are yet to win in front of their M Chinnaswamy Stadium faithful. When they return to their cauldron after a trip to Jaipur, they will be keen on setting that record straight, with the race for the top four heating up. RCB are currently placed third with four wins from six matches and a healthy net run rate, but a string of losses at home won't bode well for them in the long run.
PBKS, meanwhile, are on the back of an incredible win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Despite their batting coming undone, Shreyas Iyer and Co. dug deep and got the job done, with Chahal - who will be at the forefront of things on Friday - playing a starring role.
The Kings have an identical win-loss record to that of RCB, with a slightly lower net run rate. When they face off against the Royal Challengers in Mullanpur over the weekend, Punjab will want to have the cushion of being ahead of them on the points table.
RCB's squad for IPL 2025: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Manoj Bhandage, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Mohit Rathee, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi.
PBKS' squad for IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett.
IPL 2025: Can RCB give the Chinnaswamy something to cheer about?
This is an incredibly close contest to call, given the manner in which the two teams have played so far in IPL 2025.
PBKS' batting has been a touch brittle despite many of their players being in good form, and that isn't an ideal scenario ahead of facing the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. But they have so much depth that they can easily recover from such collapses.
On the other hand, if Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen can trouble the RCB openers, the hosts could be in trouble in the middle overs against the guile of Chahal, who knows the stadium inside out. PBKS are also likely to field Harpreet Brar for the first time in IPL 2025, and the left-arm spinner loves nothing more than feasting against the Royal Challengers.
Both teams are well-rounded, and this is a near-impossible call. PBKS might just have the tools needed to get the job done, although they must be at their absolute best for that to happen.
Prediction: PBKS to win Match 34 of IPL 2025.