Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will meet in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday in Mullanpur, with both franchises aiming to reach their first-ever IPL final.
Punjab return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, while Bengaluru last finished in the top two in 2016. Neither side has won the tournament since its inception in 2008.
Punjab’s rise this season has been driven by an emerging domestic core, including Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Harpreet Brar. RCB, traditionally reliant on marquee players, have shifted towards a more balanced unit, captained by Rajat Patidar, with Jitesh Sharma as vice-captain.
Both teams are dealing with injury-related changes. Punjab leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is expected to return from a wrist issue, but all-rounder Marco Jansen has left for South Africa to prepare for the World Test Championship final. RCB will likely be without Tim David, who has a hamstring injury, but Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is available again.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer remain key batters for their sides. Kohli has scored 608 runs at a strike rate of 147.91, while Iyer has 514 runs at 171.90. However, Iyer’s form at the Mullanpur venue has been poor, with only 25 runs in four innings.
Conditions at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium have varied. Early matches saw totals over 200, but recent games were low-scoring. Thursday’s forecast predicts clear skies and temperatures around 30°C.
The winner will advance directly to the IPL final. The loser will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
Punjab hold a slight edge in head-to-head encounters, winning 18 of 35 matches against Bengaluru.
Squads:
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, and others.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Rajat Patidar, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and others.
