Punjab Kings will meet the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 37th match of IPL 2025. The Mullanpur-based Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium holds the 37th match on Sunday, April 20. The two teams recently played against each other in Bengaluru only two days ago before this match. The Shreyas Iyer team won through a five-wicket victory in the 14-over match.

The Punjab franchise has looked impressive this season and is currently riding high on confidence after two brilliant wins. With five wins in seven games, they now sit in the second position in the points table with 10 points and a positive NRR of 0.308. The side would hope to register another win before having a five-day gap for their next match.

For RCB, this will be a revenge game, and they will be happy to take on the same opposition to prove their brilliance. For the Rajat Patidar-led side, their home ground performances have been contrasting to their away games. With four wins on the road, RCB has lost all three games at home. 

Punjab Kings played against Royal Challengers Bengaluru 34 times, in which Punjab Kings won 18 matches while Royal Challengers Bengaluru won 16 games.

Introduction of 1st Team (PBKS)

The Punjab Kings cricket team features a powerful combination of their solid batting department and dependable bowling attack. The captain Shreyas Iyer forms the core foundation of the batting section through his exceptional 257 runs during this season while maintaining a staggering 194.69 strike rate. Nehal Wadhera has proven himself an essential asset for the middle-order after a successful run that produced 184 runs with 46.00 as his average.

Marcus Stoinis stands ready to achieve trend-setting stats in the upcoming matches because he needs 68 more runs to complete 2,000 IPL runs while requiring only six more runs to complete 6,500 T20 runs. The duo of Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal provides exceptional bowling performance for the Kings where Singh is aiming to be Mullanpur’s leading wicket-taker and Chahal already has achieved eight wickets this season.

Probable Playing XI

1. Priyansh Arya
2. Nehal Wadhera
3. Shreyas Iyer ©
4. Shashank Singh
5. Josh Inglis (wk)
6. Marcus Stoinis / Glenn Maxwell
7. Marco Jansen
8. Harpreet Brar
9. Xavier Bartlett
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Yuzvendra Chahal
12. Prabhsimran Singh (Impact Player)

Introduction of the 2nd Team (RCB)

The key batting strength of Royal Challengers Bangaluru begins with Virat Kohli who leads with 249 runs and maintains a quality average of 49.80 this season. Standing alongside Kohli, the young batsman Philip Salt maintains an outstanding strike rate of 182.75 as he achieves 208 runs during the season. The vital role of Josh Hazlewood in bowling has been crucial because he holds same number of wickets (12) as the leader this season. Tim David and Devdutt Padikkal strengthen RCB’s batting roster because David saved a match with his previous batting performance and Padikkal approaches his 3,000 T20 runs milestone.

Probable Playing XI

1. Philip Salt
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rajat Patidar ©
4. Liam Livingstone
5. Jitesh Sharma (wk)
6. Tim David
7. Krunal Pandya
8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
9. Josh Hazlewood
10. Suyash Sharma
11. Yash Dayal
12. Devdutt Padikkal / Manoj Bhandage (Impact Player)

What To Expect

The surface at Mullanpur is a heavily two-paced track where the pitch has something for both the batters and bowlers. In the few games that have been played at this venue, the surface seemed to get slower as the game progressed. Which could make this a ground where defending a total might be the choice taken by the teams after winning the toss.

Punjab Kings (PBKS):

1. Shreyas Iyer:

As the team captain Shreyas Iyer leads PBKS with 257 runs and maintains a strike rate of 194.69 this season. PBKS has greatly benefited from his aggressive batting style.

2. Neha Wadhera:

Within PBKS Nehal Wadhera stands as the third-leading run scorer for the team. His six-match performance totaled 184 runs with an average of 46.00 which proves his reliability when batting in the middle order.

3. Marcus Stoinis:

Stoinis approaches two significant milestones in T20 cricket because he demands only 68 additional runs to reach his 2,000 IPL runs total and 6 more runs to achieve 6,500 T20 runs.

4. Arshdeep Singh:

Arshdeep can reach the top position for most IPL T20 wickets as well as Mullanpur all T20 wickets by taking two more wickets. The PBKS team depends heavily on his exceptional talents and reliable performances.

5. Yuzvendra Chahal:

Life has brought Chahal exceptional fortune as he went on to claim six wickets in his recent matches while earning eight wickets in this season. The recent success of his bowling displays why PBKS needs him in their fast bowling contingent.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):

1. Virat Kohli:

RCB’s batting revolves around Virat Kohli who has scored 249 runs this season averaging 49.80 while facing 5 overs. Kohli stands only 104 runs away from passing AB de Villiers to become PBKS’s highest run-scorer in the history of IPL.

2. Philip Salt:

Philip Salt’s batting performance this season includes 208 runs and 30.28 average combined with 182.75 strike rate. His powerful hitting abilities significantly strengthen RCB’s batting offensive.

3. Josh Hazlewood:

The pacer Josh Hazlewood maintains joint top spot in IPL 2025 wicket-taking with 12 wickets gathered at 8.17 economy rate. The pacer trails by just two wickets from reaching 150 T20 wickets but he currently holds the lead in wicket taking with 12 IPL 2025 games completed.

4. Tim David:

Previous match performance showcased Tim David’s capacity to save RCB from danger as he batted to stop their decline while handling sporting pressure.

5. Devdutt Padikkal:

When Padikkal scores an additional 75 runs he will achieve the milestone of 3,000 T20 runs thereby demonstrating his solid performance along with his potential as a promising upcoming player.

Conclusion

Both Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fight to win their rematch along with Punjab Kings (PBKS) vying to establish their IPL 2025 leadership position. These two rival teams face a crucial match that will enable them to show their top competitive skills. The recent success of PBKS in IPL 2025 establishes their status as a confident well-balanced group which enters this contest with high spirit. RCB intends to leverage their capability under high pressure situations by transforming their passion for redemption into a powerful showing during this fixture.

One of this season’s most energizing cricket matches will unfold at Mullanpur’s Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium which presents a beautiful location. This challenging two-paced pitch at the stadium will present significant difficulties for players seeking to handle their bats and bowling responsibilities throughout this crucial match. Fans should look forward to watching an exciting IPL contest featuring high-intensity cricket along with all the dramatic events from this intense rivalry.

PBKS prioritizes their continued winning streak to position themselves at the top part of the leaderboard. Through their recent dominant play PBKS has proven themselves to be strong challengers for the championship. RCB has made this contest about redemption as well as restoring pride to break their losing streak. Both teams face intense pressure because victory must combine with home success to keep their IPL season active.

Cricket fans need to prepare for an exceptional event at Mullanpur Stadium. The match brings together star players together with tactical maneuvers and unpredictable T20 cricket features which will keep spectators at the edge of their seats throughout the entire match. A cricket match at Mullanpur is coming that will create widespread excitement among spectators.