IPL 2025, PBKS vs RCB Live Score: RCB opt to chase in Mullanpur as they seek bounce-back win against Punjab Kings

PBKS vs RCB IPL Live Score 2025, Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Less than 40 hours after the conclusion of their rain-shortened match in Bangalore, it's a rapid rematch between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, this time at the Mullanpur stadium in New Chandigarh. The last match saw RCB fold meekly before a gem from the bat of Tim David allowed them to make a contest out of a match on a pretty spicy wicket at the Chinnaswamy, and with this contest being billed as a revenge match for them, will they be able to produce this time around?...Read More

PBKS have the momentum and the confidence thanks to their victory two nights ago, but things change quickly in the Indian Premier League. There's always an added pressure that comes with crunch matches, and given they have the opportunity to head to the top of the table with a victory at home, this is certainly a crunch match. An outfit that is trying to redefine itself under new leadership, a couple of wins against a very strong RCB team to go top of the table would be a real statement regarding their ambitions. It will push them clearer of the chasing back, and with a captain in Shreyas Iyer who knows all about dragging teams from the doldrums to positions of success, you have to believe they would be best-placed to qualify.

For RCB it might be more about avoiding a loss than getting somewhere with a win. It's a really awkward position for RCB: a loss would push them to a record of 4-4, back in the middle of the pack as they slug it out, not a position they will want to be in after the sterling start they had. Conversely, a win will push them up to 10 points, level with PBKS themselves, as well as numbers one and two in Gujarat and Delhi, capable of theoretically rising as high as second if they win big. A lot to gain for RCB and a lot to lose — but given the ethos of T20 cricket that every team wants to follow, wanting to go all-out for the big wins and the big positive swings makes those pitfalls worth it.

It will be a sweltering hot day in the north of India as these two teams, with a very quick turnaround between their games, and temperatures sky-high. It might just come down to which team has more energy to execute their plans. Tactically, these teams know what went right and what went wrong against one another a couple of days ago, and therefore know exactly what to plan for. RCB want to avoid a repeat of the same, but against a team flying high on confidence that is stringing those crucial wins together, a tough task lies ahead of them.

Click here to read article