Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings will once more vie for supremacy in an Indian Premier League (IPL) final this weekend. After years of disappointments and near misses, one team will finally bring home this prized trophy.
In the punjab kings vs royal challengers bengaluru standings, both teams are battling for dominance, with star players stepping up for this high-stakes clash. Phil Salt was in charge, along with Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (capt), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Yash Dayal, and Josh Hazlewood.
| Date | Result | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 3 June 2025 | RCB won by 6 runs (IPL Final, Ahmedabad) | RCB defended 190/9; Punjab Kings were restricted to 184/7 (ESPN Cricinfo, Reuters, The Times) |
| 29 May 2025 | RCB won by 8 wickets (Qualifier 1, Mullanpur) | RCB chased down 101 in just 10 overs thanks to Phil Salt’s blistering 50-ball fifty (Indiatimes) |
| 20 April 2025 | RCB won by 7 wickets (IPL 2025 season match) | RCB secured a convincing win over Punjab Kings (Probo) |
| 18 April 2025 | PBKS won by 5 wickets (IPL 2025 season match) | Punjab Kings bounced back with a strong victory (Probo) |
| 9 May 2024 | RCB won by 60 runs (IPL 2024 season match) | RCB posted a dominant win in Dharamsala (Wikipedia, AiScore) |
Points table
Since their inaugural meeting in IPL 2008, these two teams have formed an intense yet close rivalry. Since then, their meetings have provided some of the most exhilarating matches in IPL history with tight finishes and explosive batting duels taking place regularly during each encounter. At present, PBKS hold an edge with 18 wins against 17 for RCB, making their competition one of the closest rivalries in all of IPL history.
In their most recent match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets to move into second place on the points table behind Delhi Capitals who have six wins out of seven matches. Noor Ahmed led their spinners with 12 wickets while Josh Hazlewood and Kuldeep Yadav followed suit.
On the batting side, Virat Kohli continued his impressive form against PBKS. The RCB captain amassed six fifties and one century in this match at an average strike rate of 134 with an impressive strike rate. Since RCB adopted him two centuries have been scored against them with Virat undoubtedly being the star attraction in this rivalry.
Punjab still have an opportunity to qualify for the play-offs, even after their defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Their last match will take place against Gujarat Titans on 30th May and should they prevail, they would advance directly to Qualifier 1.
At Ekana, the match attracted high scoring and ended in drama. Royal Challengers bowlers did well to restrict Punjab kings to just 157/6 after 20 overs, with both Phil Salt and Shaun Marsh scoring half centuries for their respective sides. Unfortunately for RCB though, wickets fell regularly throughout and they were eventually dismissed for just 189 runs; leaving them third with 10 points but expected to move up due to superior net run rate.
Venue-specific dominance
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings have long had a fiery rivalry that provides captivating Indian Premier League action. Over 37 match-ups in this season alone, they have met 37 times with 18 wins going to RCB as opposed to 17 victories for PBKS. Their match-ups often produce dramatic finishes or key moments that have defined an entire season’s play – from power-packed batting duels to nail-biting chases RCB-PBKS matches are always worth watching!
RCB will look to maintain their momentum after defeating Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 and advance to the final of this tournament. They’ll face off against Eliminator winner in their next home match at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium New Chandigarh; its pitch should provide equal support to both batters and bowlers alike; team batting first has won five out of eight IPL matches at that venue while chase teams have emerged victorious four times at its venue.
Shreyas Iyer of PBKS remains confident that their team can rebound after its humiliation by RCB, not losing focus and working tirelessly towards improvement. Furthermore, he’s hopeful they will reach the final for a fourth time ever in their history.
After defeating Mumbai Indians convincingly, PBKS have moved up to second in the points table and are just six points away from Delhi Capitals (who lead with 10 from seven games). Their hope now is to make playoffs by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 28.
The match against RCB will provide several players an opportunity to face their former teams head on, such as Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Marcus Stoinis who all once represented them at RCB and will look to topple it on the big stage; similarly Mayank Agarwal and Liam Livingstone hope to prevent their former club from winning its maiden championship title. It will be broadcasted live both by Star Sports TV Channels as well as Jio Hotstar.
Batting stats
RCB and PBKS share an intense rivalry, full of exciting finishes and twists. Since 2008 when IPL matches began, these two have met 35 times; their win-loss record illustrates one of the closest contests seen during that time period.
The two teams first faced off at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for a rain-hit match; Rahul Dravid scored 66 off 51 balls but were bowled out for 126. However, in Mohali, things went differently: despite an unusually poor batting display by PBKS batsmen they managed to achieve victory with eight wickets left standing despite only scoring 161.
With an intimidating target to defend, RCB made an inauspicious start in the Powerplay. After reaching 30 before Virat Kohli fell to Phil Salt’s impressive catch at deep mid-wicket, their other batsmen failed to capitalise on an otherwise beneficial surface and ended with only seven wickets off 20 overs – leaving RCB with just 184/7 overall.
Krunal Pandya shone with the ball for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), taking 2 wickets at an average of 10 an over in an extraordinary show of bowling from Krunal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – while ultimately, Royal Challengers Bengal won by six runs to make history and reach their first IPL final since 2009.
Kings have outscored RCB in the playoffs by scoring 207 runs against them, including 16 sixes and 12 fours – the highest total ever scored against any opponent in IPL history. They even hit 23 sixes during their run to victory in the final.
The game was truly epic and its result is testament to just how close the contest had been. Both teams now turn their focus toward next season in hopes of making up for recent disappointments; for RCB this means returning to the top of the table after three years; for PBKS this means trying to regain their IPL title they lost back in 2016. With both sides needing victory here and no easy games ahead in 2016, the stakes couldn’t be higher! This fixture must win for both sides if either wants any hope of survival.
Bowling stats
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings have had a fierce rivalry since the first season of Indian Premier League, featuring high-octane matches filled with intense tension, dramatic finishes, and moments which have changed momentum of games – from power-packed batting displays to nailbiting chases; these two sides are known for producing epic performances on every field. Their game in New Chandigarh this month promises to be another epic contest!
While RCB were more metronomic with the bat, Punjab were much superior with the ball. Even with Glenn Maxwell struggling, they managed to find a good balance of pace and spin that enabled them to claim most wickets during this fixture – led by Harpreet Brar.
Royal Challengers currently hold an advantage in head-to-head matches against Punjab, having won 18 out of 35 contests between them. However, two recent meetings between these teams were won by Punjab.
However, RCB are confident of winning their inaugural IPL crown when they face Punjab in the final. As reigning champions with an abundance of world-class players such as Virat Kohli leading them, and an ample bench to call upon should any injured player require replacement, RCB have every edge for victory against Punjab in the IPL this year.
As such a pivotal match approaches, excitement will likely run high, with one team likely taking home the IPL trophy at its conclusion. However, it is essential to remain calm and remember that one game cannot determine who wins 2025 IPL!
Yuzvendra Chahal may make his return for the final, which may see his bowling squad remain unchanged with only James Hopes possibly replacing Yuzvendra in terms of bowling quota; otherwise one or both spinners or pacemen could step in as replacements – should Chahal not fully recover after missing RCB-MI match.