With the elusive IPL 2025 title on the line, Punjab Kings take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3. The two teams have been part of the holy trinity that hasn't won an IPL title, despite being among the tournament's starters in 2008.
RCB and PBKS have faced each other thrice this season with the Bengaluru franchise winning two of those. The first, in Bengaluru, was won by the Punjab side, following which RCB bagged two matches in a row. The latest of those came in Qualifier 1 when RCB blew away the hard-hitting Punjab team to qualify for the final. Punjab now look to avenge the loss and earn the crown.
Team news and Probable Playing XIs; Will Tim David return?
Eyes will be pinned on the playing combinations for this game. RCB would be hoping that Tim David returns to the fold, having missed the last two matches in a row due to his hamstring injury that he picked during the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23.
On being asked about David, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, in a pre-match press conference, said, "I have no idea about Tim David. The doctors are looking after him and we will know more tomorrow."
Will Chahal slot in despite not being 100%?
Another major question revolves around whether Chahal will be playing for Punjab Kings. He returned to the Playing XI for the Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians after missing three matches in a row due to his hand injury. After the win over MI, PBKS bowling coach James Hopes revealed that Chahal was not at 100% during the fixture. It remains to be seen whether he will play the final or misses out.
PBKS's Probable Playing XI:
Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar/Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak (Impact sub-option)
RCB's Probable Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma (Impact sub-option)
