Punjab Kings (PBKS) will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a high-stakes Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Thursday (May 29). The match will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. It will be PBKS’s third appearance in the Playoffs in the history of the tournament. PBKS have reached the final clash once but are yet to claim the winning title.
The Punjab Kings look unstoppable this season. They were the first side to qualify for the Playoffs and are sitting comfortably on the top of the points table after league stage matches. Shreyas Iyer who led Kolkata Knight Riders to win the trophy in 2024, will want to do the same with PBKS.
Punjab Kings reached the IPL playoffs in 2025 after 11 years. The made it to the playoffs only twice before this year, in 2008 and 2014. PBKS advanced to the Eliminator once in 2008, losing to Chennai Super Kings by 9 wickets. They reached the final once in 2014, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by 3 wickets.
Punjab Kings stats in Playoffs
Punjab Kings have played 2 matches in IPL playoffs. They have secured 1 win and suffered 1 defeat, making their winning percentage 50%. PBKS’s highest playoff total is 199/4 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 1 of 2014. Their lowest playoff score is 149/9 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 Final.
Here are the top performers for Punjab Kings in the IPL playoffs –
Most Runs for PBKS in IPL Playoffs:
Wriddhiman Saha: 156 runs in 3 innings, average 78.00, strike rate 173.33, highest score 115*
Virender Sehwag: 131 runs in 3 innings, average 43.66, strike rate 184.50, highest score 122
Manan Vohra: 127 runs in 3 innings, average 42.33, strike rate 124.50, highest score 67
Most Wickets for PBKS in IPL Playoffs:
Karanveer Singh: 7 wickets in 3 innings, average 18.00, economy rate 10.50, best bowling 4/54
Mitchell Johnson: 5 wickets in 3 innings, average 23.20, economy rate 9.66, best bowling 2/31
Axar Patel: 3 wickets in 3 innings, average 18.33, economy rate 4.58, best bowling 2/11
PBKS Probable Playing XII for Qualifier 1
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vyshak Vijaykumar/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
