Punjab Kings return to Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 after 11 years, facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are back after a nine-year absence. The match is scheduled to be played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The much-anticipated clash will see Punjab Kings start as favourites only by the barest of margins, but that is the least of RCB fans' concerns at the moment.

They are turning up in droves across social media, flooding timelines with unwavering support, their passion echoing through every post, comment, and hashtag — a sea of loyal fans, bleeding red and rallying behind their team with unshakable belief. No prizes for guessing that some of them have gone a bit overboard and have already declared RCB as the winner of IPL 2025. And this is even before the first ball has been bowled in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings.

RCB have come close to winning the Indian Premier League on three previous occasions in 2009, 2011, and 2016, where they lost in the final. This will be their seventh playoff appearance in the IPL, barring the three previously highlighted seasons they played in the summit clash. With 9 wins in 14 games, they finished second in the points table, just below Punjab Kings due to a subpar net run-rate.

With two top teams warming up to stake their claim for a spot in the IPL final, it has everything in it to be a nail-biter. A loss for either of the two sides would not mean curtains for them, as they would get another opportunity to stay alive in the tournament. The loser of Qualifier 1 would play the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 for a spot in the final. The Eliminator will be played between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians on Friday, May 30, 2025, in Mullanpur.

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