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Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Punjab Kings
The 34th match of IPL 2025 will see Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Both teams will enter this match with 4 wins each from 6 games.
RCB stand 3rd on the table, while PBKS hold the 4th spot, only separated by net run rate. Both teams will carry momentum after winning their last matches. PBKS defended 111 runs against KKR in a classic, while RCB completed a comfortable chase against RR.
RCB have struggled at home, losing all their matches at Chinnaswamy so far this season. PBKS will arrive with a strong batting lineup, which will suit the slightly slow surface expected in Bengaluru.
Head-to-head history shows a close fight, with PBKS winning 17 and RCB winning 16 overall. RCB have 9 wins batting first, while PBKS have 10 wins while chasing. Recent form and conditions will promise another tight battle.
Both teams have aggressive batting lineups with multiple power hitters, and the Chinnaswamy Stadium offers short boundaries and a flat surface, making a high six count very likely.
The betting tip is...
Total Sixes - Over 18.5
52 %
48 %
Royal Challengers BengaluruPunjab KingsThe Royal Challengers will rely on a strong batting lineup that will go deep until number 7. Virat Kohli leads the scoring chart with 248 runs in 6 matches at a SR of 143.35 and 3 fifties, with one coming in the last match. Phil Salt follows with 208 runs at an impressive SR of 185.71 and 2 fifties.
Rajat Patidar has contributed 186 runs at 161.73 SR. Tim David has played the finisherβs role with a 195.74 SR. Jitesh Sharma holds a 154.38 SR in limited balls played.
In the bowling unit, Josh Hazlewood will lead with 9 wickets. Krunal Pandya follows with 8 wickets as the teamβs lead spinner. Yash Dayal has taken 7 wickets, while Bhuvi has 6 wickets at an economy of 7.84.
Kohli, Salt and Hazlewood are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
Lockie Ferguson is injured, and Xavier Bartlett replaces him in the last match. Punjab rely on a strong batting unit this season, led by captain Shreyas Iyer. He has scored 250 runs in 6 matches at a SR of 204.91, including 3 fifties.
Priyansh Arya follows with 216 runs at a SR of 216. Prabhsimran Singh has 163 runs at 166.32 SR, including 1 fifty. Nehal Wadhera has contributed 151 runs at 145.19 SR. Shashank Singh plays the finisherβs role with a strike rate of 148.23.
In the bowling unit, Arshdeep Singh leads with 8 wickets. Yuzvendra Chahal provides support with 6 wickets, including a 4-wicket performance in the last match against KKR, which earned him the Player of the Match. Marco Jansen has picked 6 wickets.
Iyer, Chahal and Arshdeep are the key players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Both teams have power hitters and strong batting lineups. Punjab's top-order batters have scored at strike rates over 200, while RCB's top three have shown consistency with both runs and aggressive scoring.
The surface at Chinnaswamy usually favours batters, and hitting sixes here has always been easier than at most IPL grounds.
With both sides packed with in-form hitters and the ground conditions favouring big shots, a high-scoring game is expected. A first-innings total around 200 looks possible. Punjab Kings look slightly stronger as a complete unit, especially after their strong bowling effort in the last match.
Backing Punjab to edge this contest in a high-scoring match makes sense based on recent form and conditions.
