29 May,2025 08:50 AM IST | New Chandigarh | Santosh Suri
RCB will bank on opener and star batter Virat Kohli to provide a solid start. Pic/AFP
Of the eight teams that appeared in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, only three sides - Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals - have not won the prestigious title. Two of these three teams - PBKS and RCB have been drawn to meet in Qualifier 1 here on Thursday, with the winner advancing to the final, to be played in Ahmedabad on June 3.
RCB have finished runners-up thrice while PBKS were second-best once, way back in 2014.
The loser on Thursday night will get another bite at the cherry as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator, thus keeping their final hopes alive.
Both PBKS and RCB have momentum on their side as they are coming into the Playoffs with morale-boosting wins in their respective last league games - PBKS defeating Mumbai Indians in Jaipur and RCB overcoming Lucknow Super Giants in a thrilling encounter in Lucknow on Tuesday night.
The win for RCB was much needed as they had not won a single game after the resumption of the IPL following a break due to tensions on the border. There is no doubt that the reworked schedule has been unkind to RCB more than any other team, as they arrived in Chandigarh only on Wednesday evening and will be battling it out in the Playoffs tomorrow without much time to rest. And if they lose Qualifier 1, they will be required to play two more matches, Qualifier 2 and the final, within a matter of three days in a bid to clinch their maiden title.
Jitesh Sharma, the stand-in RCB captain in place of recovering Rajat Patidar, said after the match in Lucknow that despite the tough schedule, the team remains confident going into the Playoffs. "Though the schedule is taxing, we want to enjoy the moment. We'll try to recover well [in time for Qualifier 1]. We'll look to carry the momentum [of winning in Lucknow] into the next match. The credit for taking us into the Playoffs goes to [regular skipper] Rajat Patidar [who is playing as an Impact player as he is still recovering from an injury]. I had the responsibility of maintaining his record and I'm happy to have done so."
On Qualifier 1, Jitesh said: "Josh Hazlewood [who is also recovering from injury] will perhaps play in the knockouts. We, as a team, are in a good space as we have a strong belief system. Look at our playing XI we have [many] match-winners."
On the other hand, PBKS are having their best season since 2014. Led by the dynamic Shreyas Iyer, who had guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season, there is a belief in the camp that this could be their moment. But for that, they have to first overcome RCB, who are not going to be easy despite this being Punjab's home ground because in their league match at the same venue on April 20, RCB had beaten Punjab quite easily. That should give the visitors a lot of confidence going into this fixture. There is no doubt that it's going to be another humdinger between the teams with a similar record in the league phase. Both have won nine of their 14 games with one washout apiece and a tally of 19 points, separated only by Net Run Rate.
