After more than two months of Indian Premier League 2025 action, we’ve reached the final game, with Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings.
With a new IPL champion set to emerge, here are our preview and predictions for the game.
Indian Premier League 2025 | Final: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings | 19:30 IST, June 3
Shreyas Iyer, who won the IPL title last year with the Kolkata Knight Riders, has the chance to write himself into the record books by becoming the first Indian captain to win the IPL title with different teams.
Iyer has not only led PBKS brilliantly on the field, but has also stepped up whenever needed with the bat. Kings openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been doing the heavy lifting with the bat; when they’ve failed to do so, which was the case in Qualifier 2, the likes of Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, and Josh Inglis have stepped up down the order. With Marcus Stoinis coming in at No. 7, PBKS have both firepower and depth in their batting lineup.
With the ball, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal have been PBKS’ chief wreckers, while Afghan medium pacer Azmatullah Omarzai and Indian left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar have chipped in at crucial junctures. Tall Kiwi seamer Kyle Jamieson caused some trouble to the RCB batters in Qualifier 1 and will be key once again for Punjab.
On the other side, we have the Royal Challengers, for whom this will be a fourth IPL final. Having lost the previous three, they’ll be looking for a change.
As usual, RCB’s top order has been doing all the work with the bat, with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli having been in outstanding form right from the start. With the likes of Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar stepping up down the order—especially given their chasing masterclass in Qualifier 1—the top-order batters will be breathing a huge sigh of relief. With Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, and Krunal Pandya coming in lower down the order, RCB—much like PBKS—have experience and depth in their batting unit.
With the ball, RCB’s seam trio of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal has provided early breakthroughs, with the spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma pulling things back in the middle.
The Ahmedabad ground has provided tons of runs this season—something we were reminded of once again in Qualifier 2. The slower bowlers will be key and may decide the final, given that we are at the end of a very long IPL season, especially with a game having been played on this pitch just two days earlier.
Whoever wins, we will have first-time champions on our hands. That said, barring Qualifier 1, PBKS have been a dominant force throughout the season. With a batting unit slightly more consistent than that of RCB, we back them to lift this year’s IPL trophy.
Fantasy XI: Priyansh Arya, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Josh Hazlewood
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Winners Prediction: Punjab Kings
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