The Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) are all set to lock horns with Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 37 of the ongoing IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League), at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Notably, the game is slated to take place on Sunday, April 20. This upcoming game will serve as a race to challenge the table-toppers, Delhi Capitals.
Punjab is once again ready to roar after a dominant win over Bengaluru just two days ago. The side is high on confidence and appears to be in great form, with five wins out of the seven matches they have played so far. Shreyas Iyer and his men will be looking to complete a double over the visitors to strengthen their position in the IPL points table. On the other hand, Rajat Patidar and his men will aim to pose a serious threat to the Punjab Kings in their backyard.
The two IPL teams met just 48 hours ago, where Punjab Kings came out on top in a DLS-affected 14-over match. It was a stellar show, with both batters and bowlers stepping up when needed from either side, and fans will be hopeful for another strong performance in the next game.
Who holds a stronger chance of winning this clash?
The hosts of this game seem to have the upper hand against RCB, given their current form. Shreyas Iyer and his men are in rhythm, and they have already shown they can handle RCB’s power-packed line-up with ease. The side will be backing themselves for another win, especially with the home crowd behind them this time.
RCB vs PBKS: Probable Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Player: Yash Thakur
Top Player Picks for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction
Phil Salt (RCB):
- Phil Salt has 81 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 162 in three innings in Bengaluru.
- While Phil Salt has been in fine form, there’s merit in dropping him in grand league teams. Salt is an aggressive player who likes to play on the up, but the Punjab Kings have several new-ball specialists.
- In Xavier Bartlett, Marco Jansen, and Arshdeep Singh, PBKS have three quality pacers who will operate in the powerplay. Hence, Salt can depart cheaply in this game.
- Glenn Maxwell has also dismissed Salt twice in 19 balls. So, there are several negative matchups against the RCB opener.
- Phil Salt’s last five scores: 65, 37, 4, 14, & 32.
Liam Livingstone (RCB):
- There are multiple reasons for selecting Liam Livingstone in this game. The biggest is his ability to contribute with both bat and ball.
- Secondly, RCB might lose a few early wickets in this game, so Livingstone’s role as a batter will increase. His real value lies in facing a few deliveries to set and score big.
- The pitch will assist his craft since spinners got some grip and turn in Bengaluru in the previous two games. His bowling value will increase, but RCB must give him more overs.
- Liam Livingstone has 86 runs at an average of 28.66 and a strike rate of 130.30 in four innings in Bengaluru. He also has a fifty here.
- Liam Livingstone’s previous five scores: 4, 0, 54, 10, & 15*. Liam Livingstone’s last five figures: 0/8, 0/14, 0/12, 2/28, & 0/14.
Josh Hazlewood (RCB):
- Josh Hazlewood will get ample assistance off the deck in Bengaluru. He has been among the finest powerplay operators and can dismiss a few batters again.
- Josh Hazlewood has a fine record against a few Punjab Kings batters. He has dismissed Shreyas Iyer and Glenn Maxwell twice each.
- Further, Hazlewood has averaged a brilliant 16.40 against LHBs this season. So, he will have the upper hand against Priyansh Arya early on and Nehal Wadhera in the middle or death overs.
- Josh Hazlewood has a solitary wicket in two innings in Bengaluru.
- Josh Hazlewood’s last five figures: 1/26, 0/40, 2/37, 1/43, & 3/21.
Prabhsimran Singh (PBKS):
- Prabhsimran Singh scored 25 runs in his only innings in Bengaluru.
- While Prabhsimran Singh has looked in good touch, we can consider dropping him for this game. RCB have two in-form new-ball bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood – who will bowl in helpful conditions, so the margin of error is low for the opening batter.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dismissed him thrice in 22 balls. He has struggled against the moving ball in the past.
- Prabhsimran Singh’s previous five scores: 30, 42, 0, 17, & 69.
Arshdeep Singh (PBKS):
- Arshdeep Singh has two wickets in two innings in Bengaluru.
- Arshdeep Singh didn’t share the new ball in the last game but bowled in the powerplay. He is an all-phase bowler, and since he will also bowl in death overs, the probability of taking wickets increases.
- Arshdeep Singh’s left-arm angle will trouble RCB’s top order. His incoming deliveries will be arduous to play for two RHB openers, while Padikkal has his issues against pace.
- Arshdeep Singh vs RHBs in IPL 2025: 4 wickets, 26.25 average, & 9.55 economy rate. Arshdeep Singh vs LHBs in IPL since 2025: 4 wickets, 24 average, & 8 economy rate.
- Arshdeep Singh’s last five figures: 1/11, 1/37, 0/39, 1/35, & 3/43.
Yuzvendra Chahal (PBKS):
- Yuzvendra Chahal knows this venue better than many other PBKS bowlers. Further, wrist spinners have done well here this season, and Chahal can wreak havoc.
- Yuzvendra Chahal has 58 wickets at an average of 20.79 and a 15.94 strike rate in 44 innings in Bengaluru. He also has two four-wicket and a five-wicket haul here.
- Yuzvendra Chahal has snared three wickets at 18 runs apiece against RHBs in IPL 2025. RCB have an RHB-heavy batting unit, with Devdutt Padikkal being the only LHB. So, Chahal has another advantage.
- Yuzvendra Chahal’s previous five figures: 4/28, 1/56, 0/9, 0/32, & 1/36.
Top Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy Picks for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction
Virat Kohli (RCB):
- Barring the consistency factor, another reason to select Virat Kohli is his improved T20 game. He has already shown different versions as a batter this IPL and can play according to the situation.
- Virat Kohli has 3485 runs at an average of 39.15 and a strike rate of 143.06 in 103 innings in Bengaluru. He also has 25 fifties and four centuries here.
- Virat Kohli has done well against all PBKS bowlers. Only Harpreet Brar has troubled him significantly, but he might not play.
- Further, he has been dismissed only once in the powerplay this season, which suggests he can score big again. He knows how to make those big scores.
- Virat Kohli’s last five scores: 62*, 22, 67, 7, & 31.
Rajat Patidar (RCB):
- Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal are slightly vulnerable due to the superior new-ball attack of the Punjab Kings. That means Rajat Patidar’s role will increase.
- Rajat Patidar has 338 runs at an average of 37.55 and a strike rate of 160.95 in 11 innings in Bengaluru. He also has three fifties here.
- Patidar has done well against most PBKS bowlers in a small sample size. He has also done reasonably well against all bowling types this season.
- Rajat is a terrific spin player, and since the ball will grip a bit, his role will be high. His value increases against Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell.
- Rajat Patidar’s previous five scores: 25, 64, 12, 51, & 34.
Glenn Maxwell (PBKS):
- Glenn Maxwell is a bold move for captaincy pick and can backfire. However, this can also be a match-winning move.
- Glenn Maxwell has 493 runs at an average of 27.38 and a 177.97 strike rate in 20 innings in Bengaluru. He also has 10 wickets at an average of 24.30 and a 16.60 strike rate in 12 innings at this venue.
- Glenn Maxwell’s biggest matchup will be Krunal Pandya, who has dismissed him five times in 88 balls.
- After playing ample cricket, he understands this venue better than many other PBKS players. Further, his bowling value will increase here since the spinners have had some help in previous matches.
- Glenn Maxwell’s last five scores: 7, 3, 1, 30, & 0. Glenn Maxwell’s previous five figures: 1/5, 0/40, 1/11, 0/6, & 1/22.
RCB vs PBKS Player to Avoid
Josh Inglis (PBKS):
- Josh Inglis will bat at No.4, but his chances of succeeding are minimal. He batted with a faulty technique in the last game.
- He might struggle to find fluency against quality RCB spinners on a track that will grip and turn a bit. The RCB spinners have done well in this tournament.
- Josh Inglis’ recent T20 form hasn’t been good enough. He has often registered low scores.
- Josh Inglis’ last five scores: 2, 4, 49, 27, & 0.
Grand League Team for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction
Small League Team for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction
