| RCB vs PBKS | |
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MATCH INFO |
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MATCH :
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RCB vs PBKS
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COMPETITION :
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IPL 2025 Final
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| DATE: |
03-05-2025
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TIME:
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07.30 PM IST (UTC +5:30)
06.00 PM UAE
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STADIUM
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Narendra Modi Stadium
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone/Tim David, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Suyash Sharma.
Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Vijaykumar Vyshak, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal/Harpreet Brar.
A Date with Destiny: Two Teams, One Elusive IPL Dream
Seventeen years of heartbreak, near-misses, and what-ifs—all distilled into one night. Two teams stand on the brink of history in the IPL 2025 final, each just one step away from fulfilling a dream that has long evaded them. But as always, only one can walk away in triumph; the other must contend with yet another chapter of crushing disappointment. Rarely has an IPL final promised so much emotion—unfiltered joy on one side, heartbreak on the other.
Players in Focus: Rajat Patidar and Yuzvendra Chahal
Rajat Patidar has emerged as a symbol of RCB's transformation this season. His emphatic six to seal victory in Qualifier 1 against PBKS wasn’t just a finishing blow—it was a statement. Taking cues from RCB's new captain, Patidar’s aggressive, fearless batting has epitomized the team’s approach in IPL 2025. His early-season form included standout performances that ended long-standing droughts—beating CSK at Chepauk for the first time in 17 years and toppling MI in Mumbai after a decade.
While his recent form has dipped—286 runs at 23.83 with a strike rate of 142.28—those numbers don’t fully reflect his influence. Patidar is likely to come out swinging again, and RCB may need just that kind of intent to counter a formidable PBKS attack on what’s been a batter-friendly Ahmedabad pitch.
Yuzvendra Chahal, meanwhile, enters the final with a point to prove. While he technically holds an IPL title from his MI days in 2013, he played just one game that season. Finals heartbreak is more familiar territory for him—he's lost two, one each with RCB and Rajasthan Royals. Now wearing PBKS colors, he faces RCB, the team he served with distinction for eight seasons.
Injury forced him to sit out Qualifier 1, a match PBKS lost to RCB, but either side of that absence, Chahal delivered vintage performances. He helped derail RR’s chase of 220 with canny middle-overs bowling before PBKS clinched a 10-run win, and on his return, he removed the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav in Qualifier 2. He’s already dented RCB’s campaign once this year, claiming 2 for 11 in a low-scoring thriller in Bengaluru. Now, the question looms—can Chahal rise once more and derail his former team’s long-awaited title run.
Haris
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