Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director of cricket Mo Bobat said that RCB's previous win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur will boost the team's confidence ahead of the crucial Qualifier 1. RCB and PBKS played two games in the league stage of IPL 2025 and won a game each. While PBKS defeated RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Rajat Patidar-led side picked up a convincing win in Mullanpur after chasing 159.

“It feels a little dissatisfying since you can’t really enjoy the win. But that’s the reality of the schedule. The boys put a lot into it in the last game, and the group phase of the competition. But the reality is that know it’s the knockout stages and you got to be ready for that. We are playing Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1, and they are a good side, that’s playing good cricket. So I am really looking forward to the game. The thing that is encouraging for us is that we have played Punjab Kings, at that venue, on that surface and we have had success there, so the team will take confidence from that,” Mo Bobat said in a media release.

Both RCB and PBKS had a great run in the league stage. PBKS topped the table with nine wins in 14 matches, while RCB also claimed nine wins, but they finished second due to an inferior run rate. Both teams have not won an IPL title so they will be under tremendous pressure to win. The side that holds its nerves better should be able to emerge victorious in the contest.

PBKS Probable XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

RCB Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Mayank Agarawal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara/Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

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