RCB vs PBKS, Qualifier 1 Pitch Report, Head to Head Record & Match Overview – IPL 2025

This Thursday, May 29, Royal Challengers of Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are going head-to-head for qualifier 1 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. This is also the first season with Shreyas Iyer as captain for PBKS, and he has led the team into their first playoffs since 2014. The team finished the round-robin stage with nine wins and four losses, with one game washed out. The Punjab Kings have newly qualified for Qualifier 1 with their seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in Jaipur.

Match overview 

Meanwhile, RCB have returned to the top two spots not seen since 2016 and have made the league finish second to PBKS. They had the same number of wins and losses as the Punjab Kings, but just a shade lower net run rate. In their final fixture of the league, RCB successfully chased down the highest ever target of 228 runs, against Lucknow Super Giants.

The two teams have already faced each other twice during the league phase; PBKS punished RCB at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, while RCB took their revenge back at Mullanpur.

Read Also:- Most Run Scorers in IPL 2025

Pitch Report for RCB vs PBKS match 

Regarding the pitch, with nine IPL matches at Mullanpur, the average first-innings score has been 174. Five matches have been won by the army batting first. In IPL 2025, on the other hand, four matches were held there, three of which went to the first batting side, with an average first-innings score of 183. In T20s, bowling first is usually the preferred route for teams; here, though, scoring will most likely be the key. Accordingly, a batter who has set himself up will want to make the most of his time at the crease, as any new batter may actually struggle to get going against the bowlers from the first ball itself.

Head to Head Record