The thirty-fourth match of #IPL 2025 will be played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on April 18.
Match Info
| Match | RCB vs PBKS, Match 34, Indian Premier League,T20 |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, April 18th, 2025 |
| Time | 7:30 pm IST |
| Venue | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will clash with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 34 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, the 18th of April. RCB have won four of their six matches this season and have the second-best batting average in the tournament.
PBKS, on the other hand, have also won four of their six encounters and are just behind RCB on Net Run Rate. They have the best combined run-rate (10.3) this season. Both teams are coming off wins in their last encounters. While RCB hammered Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in Jaipur, PBKS stunned Kolkata Knight Riders by defending 111 against them in Mullanpur – it was the lowest total ever defended in IPL history (in a 20-over contest)!
We look at the rivalry between the two franchises, the players to watch out for and the match-ups, the numbers which stand out in the different phases of play and who is likely to come out triumphant in the high-octane encounter
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head Record:
| Teams | Matches Won |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 16 |
| Punjab Kings | 17 |
RCB vs PBKS Weather & Pitch Report:
| Temperature | 27°C |
| Weather Forecast | Broken Clouds |
| Pitch Behaviour | Batting-friendly |
| Best Suited To | Pace |
| Average 1st innings score | 177 |
Venue Stats – M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
– The average score batting first at the venue since IPL 2023 is 192.
– The average score chasing at the venue since 2023 is 182.
– The pacers have bagged 72% wickets at the venue at a strike rate of 18.7 since IPL 2023. Bengaluru is not a ground for spinners and they have an average of 38.6 at the venue since 2023.
– It is even-stevens in Bengaluru for the team batting first and the team chasing with both winning 8 games each since IPL 2023.
IPL 2025 – Insights Match 34 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings
Indian Premier League 2025 Most Runs (T20)
| Player | MAT | RUNS | SR | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nicholas Pooran | 7 | 357 | 208.77 | 31 |
| 2. Sai Sudharsan | 6 | 329 | 151.61 | 13 |
| 3. Mitchell Marsh | 6 | 295 | 171.51 | 17 |
| 4. Shreyas Iyer | 6 | 250 | 204.92 | 20 |
| 5. Virat Kohli | 6 | 248 | 143.35 | 10 |
| 6. Surya Kumar Yadav | 6 | 239 | 149.38 | 10 |
| 7. KL Rahul | 5 | 238 | 154.55 | 12 |
| 8. Yashasvi Jaiswal | 7 | 233 | 138.69 | 13 |
| 9. Sanju Samson | 7 | 224 | 143.59 | 10 |
| 10. Ajinkya Rahane | 7 | 221 | 148.32 | 14 |
Crunch the Stats
Match Prediction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Punjab Kings
55% Royal Challengers Bengaluru
45% Punjab Kings
Probable Playing XIIs (including Impact Player)
RCB: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma, 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma
PBKS: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Josh Inglis, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Suryansh Shedge, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Xavier Bartlett, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
Indian Premier League 2025 Most Sixes (T20)
| Player | MAT | 6s | HS | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nicholas Pooran | 7 | 31 | 87 | 208.77 |
| 2. Shreyas Iyer | 6 | 20 | 97 | 204.92 |
| 3. Mitchell Marsh | 6 | 17 | 81 | 171.51 |
| 4. Priyansh Arya | 6 | 16 | 103 | 216.00 |
| 5. Ajinkya Rahane | 7 | 14 | 61 | 148.32 |
| 6. Phil Salt | 6 | 13 | 65 | 185.71 |
| 7. Sai Sudharsan | 6 | 13 | 82 | 151.61 |
| 8. Yashasvi Jaiswal | 7 | 13 | 75 | 138.69 |
| 9. Riyan Parag | 7 | 12 | 43 | 147.86 |
| 10. KL Rahul | 5 | 12 | 93 | 154.55 |
Players To Watch Out For
Virat Kohli (RCB)
Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in IPL history and the only batter in the 8K Club in the tournament. He is the leading run-getter for RCB this season with 248 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 143.3. Kohli has hit three fifties so far with his highest impact performance coming against Royals when he registered an unbeaten 62 off 45 balls to take his side to a thumping nine-wicket win in Jaipur. Kohli has significantly improved his play against spin and has scored 135 runs off just 95 balls against the slower bowlers at a scoring rate of 142.1 this season.
Rajat Patidar (RCB)
Rajat Patidar has led from the front and hammered 186 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 161.7. Patidar is the enforcer in the middle order and has a scoring rate of 175.4 in the middle overs (7-16) since IPL 2023. He is a brilliant player of spin and has a strike rate of 174 against the slower bowlers in the IPL.
Priyansh Arya (PBKS)
Priyansh Arya has taken IPL 2025 by storm, smashing the fourth-fastest hundred in IPL history – 103 off 42 deliveries against Chennai Super Kings. He is a ferocious hitter at the top of the order and has a strike rate of 217.6 in the powerplay this season. Arya has a scoring rate of 177.7 in all T20 cricket.
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS)
Shreyas Iyer has led Punjab Kings from the front and scored 250 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 204.9 this season. He has been magnificent against spin, scoring at a rate of 195.9 against the slower bowlers. However, where Iyer has shown remarkable improvement is in his game against the faster bowlers – he has clobbered 154 runs off just 73 balls against pace at a sensational strike rate of 211 in this edition.
Indian Premier League 2025 Top Wicket Taker (T20)
| Player | MAT | WK | BBI | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Noor Ahmad | 7 | 12 | 4/18 | 12.00 |
| 2. Kuldeep Yadav | 6 | 11 | 3/22 | 13.09 |
| 3. Syed Khaleel Ahmed | 7 | 11 | 3/29 | 14.73 |
| 4. Shardul Thakur | 7 | 11 | 4/34 | 13.64 |
| 5. Varun Chakaravarthy | 7 | 10 | 3/22 | 16.20 |
| 6. Prasidh Krishna | 6 | 10 | 3/24 | 13.80 |
| 7. Sai Kishore | 6 | 10 | 3/30 | 11.90 |
| 8. Mohammed Siraj | 6 | 10 | 4/17 | 14.40 |
| 9. Hardik Pandya | 5 | 10 | 5/36 | 9.60 |
| 10. Harshit Rana | 7 | 10 | 3/25 | 13.80 |
Powerplay & Death Over Stats
– Priyansh Arya has a strike rate of 217.6 in the powerplay in IPL 2025.
– Shreyas Iyer has a strike rate of 197.2 in the middle overs in IPL 2025.
– Virat Kohli has a strike rate of 151.3 in the powerplay this season.
– Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 164.8 in the middle overs this season.
– Josh Hazlewood has an economy rate of 5.36 in the powerplay in IPL 2025.
MATCH – UPS
– Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh in IPL
Innings – 7
Balls – 41
Runs – 79
Strike Rate – 192.7
Dismissals – 1
– Rajat Patidar vs Yuzvendra Chahal in IPL
Innings – 2
Balls – 17
Runs – 32
Strike Rate – 188.2
Dismissals – 0
– Phil Salt vs Marco Jansen in T20s
Innings – 5
Balls – 28
Runs – 60
Strike Rate – 214.3
Dismissals – 1
– Shreyas Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood in T20s
Innings – 3
Balls – 12
Runs – 3
Strike Rate – 25
Dismissals – 2
Match Predictions*
Toss Prediction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Who will score most runs
Phil Salt (RCB)
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS)
Who will pick most wickets
Josh Hazlewood (RCB)
Arshdeep Singh (PBKS)
Win Prediction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win
RCB – 56%
PBKS – 44%
2025 IPL TEAM
Delhi Capitals Sunrisers Hyderabad Rajasthan Royals Chennai Super kings Gujrat Titans Kolkata knight Riders Lucknow Super Giants Mumbai Indians Punjab Kings Royal Challengers Bengaluru