IPL 2025: Punjab Kings topple Mumbai Indians to set up final showdown against Royal Challengers Bengaluru
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Shreyas Iyer vs. Virat Kohli - A new champion will be crowned at 2025 IPL
The 2025 Indian Premier League has been one of the most captivating in recent history, and we are set for another history-making moment on June 3, when one of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru or the Punjab Kings will be crowned champions for the first time ever.
Having stormed into the final with an incredible performance in Qualifier 1, the team from Bengaluru is installed as early favourites, but by a very slender margin. Our Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings prediction is online, so be sure to check it out to get our expert’s thoughts on this contest.
Despite featuring in every edition of the IPL since the inaugural season in 2008, neither RCB nor PBKS (formerly Kings XI Punjab) have ever lifted the trophy. RCB have been beaten finalists three times in the past, while PBKS have only reached one previous final.
Punjab bounced back from their shocking performance in Qualifier 1 by producing arguably their best showing of the season on Sunday afternoon to beat the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians, by five wickets, thanks to a masterful effort by skipper Shreyas Iyer.
Batting first, Mumbai posted a very defendable target of 203/6, with Suryakumar Yadav confirming one of our IPL predictions for the match, top-scoring with 44 runs off 26 deliveries, while Tilak Varma also posted 44 from 29 deliveries.
In response, the Kings were dealt a couple of early blows, with Prabhsimran Singh dismissed in the second over for just six runs and his opening partner Priyansh Arya following him back to the pavilion three overs later.
However, PBKS’ captain Shreyas Iyer strode to the crease at number four and smashed 87 runs off 41 deliveries at a strike rate of 212.20 to lead his side to victory. Josh Inglis (38 off 21) and Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29) also played crucial supporting roles to get their side over the line.
RCB and PBKS' journey to the 2025 IPL final
It is perhaps fitting that the final of the 2025 IPL will come down to the two best teams in the competition this season. PBKS and RCB finished the group stage in first and second, respectively, locked on 19 points apiece, but separated only on net run rate.
There too, there was very little to separate the two teams, with the Kings posting a NRR of +0.372, while the Royal Challengers were +0.301. Both teams had identical records of nine wins, four defeats and one no-result from their 14 group-stage matches.
In the knockouts, though, it was the side from Bengaluru who hit the ground running, as they smashed the Kings by a massive eight wickets and with 10 overs to spare after bowling out the Punjab outfit for a mere 101 runs in Qualifier 1 on May 29.
That result forced PBKS to feature in the crucial Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians, who were the fancied team in the contest after delivering a commanding performance against the Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator on Friday afternoon.
The stage is now set for what should be a thrilling high-stakes encounter on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where RCB enter the match with the psychological advantage, but PBKS have momentum following their victory over Mumbai.
