A new name will be etched into the Indian Premier League (IPL) history books as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) square off in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday. Both franchises, after 18 long years in the league, are eyeing their maiden title in what promises to be a thrilling summit clash.
RCB’s Fourth Shot at Glory
RCB enters the final with hopes of finally ending their long-standing title drought, having previously finished runners-up three times, in 2009, 2011, and 2016. This season, they secured second place in the league with 19 points from 14 matches and booked their spot in the final after an emphatic eight-wicket win over PBKS in Qualifier 1.
Virat Kohli has once again led the charge with the bat, scoring 614 runs at an impressive average of 55.82 and a strike rate of 146.53, making him the backbone of the RCB lineup. On the bowling front, Josh Hazlewood has been lethal, scalping 21 wickets in 11 games at a stunning average of 15.80 and an economy of 8.30.
PBKS Aiming to Rewrite the Past
For Punjab Kings, this will be only their second appearance in an IPL final, their first since 2014 when they narrowly lost to Kolkata Knight Riders as Kings XI Punjab. Topping the league table with 19 points and a better net run rate than RCB, PBKS faltered in Qualifier 1 but bounced back with a strong five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 to reach the final.
Captain Shreyas Iyer has been a revelation, amassing 603 runs at an average of 54.82 and a blistering strike rate of 175.80. His unbeaten 87 off 41 balls against MI was instrumental in guiding the team to the finale. With the ball, Arshdeep Singh has led the attack, claiming 18 wickets in 16 matches with an average of 26.55.
Head-to-Head: Nothing to Separate Them
RCB and PBKS have faced off 36 times in IPL history, and remarkably, both sides have won 18 games each, underlining just how evenly matched they are. In this season alone, the teams have clashed three times, with RCB holding a 2-1 edge, including their recent victory in Qualifier 1.
Squads at a Glance
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Blessing Muzarabani, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh
Punjab Kings:
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash
As the curtain falls on the 2025 IPL season, fans can expect a clash packed with drama, passion, and history in the making, with one team finally set to lift the trophy for the very first time.
