Punjab Kings play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad on. June 3 (Tuesday). Let’s explore their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Weaknesses
- Big match experience: Very few players in the squad have the experience of playing in a big final. Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Marcus Stoinis are the only three players with the prior experience of featuring in an IPL final. Arshdeep Singh played in the final of last year’s T20 World Cup. The onus will be on these four players to guide the youngsters during pressure moments.
- The defensive gear: Punjab Kings were reeling at 34/3 in the league game against Rajasthan Royals, and yet, they reached 219/5 after 20 overs. They were in a similar position against RCB in Qualifier 1 and tried to get out of the hole by playing aggressive cricket. It backfired big time, and the team crashed to 101. Shreyas Iyer did take his time in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians and shifted gears at the right moment.
Can the others soak up the pressure and transform it back to RCB at the opportune moment?
Opportunities
Play two spinners: Harpreet Brar didn’t feature in the first six games for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. His first game was against RCB, the team he relishes playing. In fact, 31% of his IPL wickets have come against them. Brar made way for Chahal in Qualifier 2. Brar is having a much better season than Yuzvendra Chahal.
Playing both spinners serves two purposes for Shreyas Iyer.
Threats
Josh Hazlewood’s most recent memory of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is also the most painful memory of millions of Indian cricket fans. Hazlewood played a solid role in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup and helped Australia to restrict India to a paltry score of 240. Hazlewood has been sensational against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, taking three-wicket hauls in 2 of the three meetings. He also dismissed Shreyas Iyer twice, including the Qualifier 1 game in New Chandigarh.
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