In the top of table clash, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Punjab Kings in match No. 34 of the IPL 2025 season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. RCB and PBKS are in third and fourth place respectively and both sides are eyeing their fifth win of the season.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell will have taken note of how RCB batters have struggled against spin at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium — particularly against R Sai Kishore (2/22 for Gujarat Titans), DC’s Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) and Vipraj Nigam (2/18 ) — especially once the field restrictions eased.
Both Chahal and Maxwell also possess intimate knowledge of the conditions here, having spent several seasons with the RCB franchise. That familiarity could prove vital.
While RCB may draw some comfort from having batted first against GT and DC — allowing opposition spinners to exploit the absence of dew — Chahal and Maxwell operate effectively irrespective of conditions.
Chahal, fresh off a four-wicket haul against KKR, is a master of deception through flight and length. He tempts batters with wide, slower deliveries, drawing them into risky strokes that often end up in the deep. His subtle changes in pace add another layer of difficulty for batters looking to clear the ropes.
RCB, too, have spin options in Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, providing hope for a counterattack in spin-friendly conditions. Their pace attack, led by Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, brings more firepower than Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen, though the latter pair remains effective.
On the leadership front, Rajat Patidar and Shreyas Iyer present contrasting resumes. Iyer is a proven IPL-winning captain with a strong batting record, while Patidar is a first-time skipper without the same pedigree.
However, both have shown calm and clarity in their leadership. Patidar, in particular, has led a star-studded RCB squad—including Kohli and Hazlewood—with quiet authority.
Battle Ready in Chinnaswamy!
pic.twitter.com/sZONAvfXmm
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 18, 2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings IPL 2025 Match No. 34 Details
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Date & Time: April 18, 730pm IST onwards
Live Streaming and TV details: Star Sports Network and JioHotstar website and app.
RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 Match No. 34 Dream11 Prediction
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Prabhsimran Singh
Batters: Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Marco Jansen
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yuzvendra Chahal
Captain: Virat Kohli
Vice-captain: Marco Jansen
RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 Match No 34 Predicted 12
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsiman Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell/Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Suryansh Shedge
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