This is that time of the year when the whole world of cricket turns its attention to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the playoffs begin. The first match is Qualifier 1, which will be played between the teams finishing first and second in the league standings.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) topped the table, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finishing second—albeit due to an inferior net run rate. So, there wasn’t much separating the two teams during the regular season.
This match will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, Punjab, on Thursday evening.
Also Read: GT vs MI IPL Betting Tips, Predictions – Indian Premier League 2025, Eliminator (30th May 2025)
PBKS vs RCB Dream11 Team Prediction
- Wicket-Keepers: P Salt, J Inglis
- Batsmen: V Kohli, S Iyer, P Arya
- All-Rounders: K Pandya, R Shepherd
- Bowlers: B Kumar, J Hazlewood, K Jamieson, A Singh
Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Priyansh Arya, Josh Hazlewood
PBKS vs RCB Dream11 Top Fantasy Cricket Picks
- Virat Kohli: He is the leading scorer for RCB in IPL 2025, having accumulated 602 runs across 13 innings. That’s a remarkable return for a player who is supposed to be in the twilight of his career. But that’s what makes Virat Kohli a special special player. It’s a big game and we know how he likes to turn up in style in these kind of matches.
- Shreyas Iyer: This is a game where some quality players will be gracing the field. One of those players is Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer who is the leading scorer for the team this season. The former Delhi Capitals star has made 514 runs in 14 innings this season.
- Phil Salt: The England International has made a positive impact with the RCB team. He has scored runs, winning games for his team this season. The former Kolkata Knight Riders star can surely win any game on his own.
- Prabhsimran Singh: He is a dangerous batsman who can make life difficult for any bowling unit. The 24-year-old has shown in IPL 2025 that he belongs at the highest order of cricket world. The Punjab Kings wicket-keeper batter can make a big difference in this match.
- Josh Hazlewood: The Australian speedster is back to bolster the attack of RCB for this game. He is a terrific bowler who likes to dominate the batsmen, even on the batting friendly pitches. In addition, the 34-year-old is also the leading wicket-taker for RCB this season.
PBKS vs RCB Dream11 Prediction: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
Pitch Report: Tomorrow, Thursday, May 29, 2025, Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2025 will be held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, between the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Pitch Report – Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium
- Batting Conditions: The surface tends to be slow, favoring spinners as the match progresses.
- Bowling Conditions: Fast bowlers can exploit the initial moisture early in the innings, while spinners gain more assistance as the game advances.
- Average Scores: Teams batting first have historically scored between 165–175 runs.
- Toss Advantage: Chasing teams have a higher win rate at this venue, with dew playing a significant role in evening games.
Weather Report: Here’s the full weather forecast for this IPL match.
- Temperature: High of 39°C during the day, cooling to around 32°C in the evening.
- Rain: Very little chance of rain on Thursday in New Chandigarh.
- Humidity: Around 40%.
- Wind: 16 Km/h.
PBKS vs RCB Team News
Punjab Kings Team News-
- No injury issues for Punjab Kings ahead of this huge game.
- All the players that took part in the last league game against Mumbai Indians are available for selection.
- Josh Inglis, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis and Kyle Jamieson should be the four overseas players for Punjab Kings.
- Punjab Kings Full Squad: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyash Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryash Shedge, Pyla Avinash, Xavier Bartlett, Pravin Dubey
Royal Challengers Bangalore Team News-
- The biggest news for RCB ahead of this game is that their leading wicket-taker Josh Hazlewood is available for selection.
- That means, either Nuwan Thushara or Liam Livingstone will make way for the big Australian.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore Full Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dhar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh
PBKS vs RCB Playing 11
Punjab Kings Expected Playing 11
- Priyansh Arya
- Prabhsimran Singh
- Josh Inglis (WK)
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Nehal Wadhera
- Shashank Singh
- Marcus Stoinis
- Marco Jansen
- Kyle Jamieson
- Harpreet Brar
- Arshdeep Singh
Impact Player: Vyshak Vijay Kumar

Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing 11
- Phil Salt
- Virat Kohli
- Mayank Agarwal
- Rajat Patidar (C)
- Romario Shepherd
- Jitesh Sharma (WK)
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Nuwan Thushara / Liam Livingstone
- Josh Hazlewood
- Yash Dayal
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
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