IPL 2025: Match 34, RCB vs PBKS Match Prediction – Who will win today IPL match?

M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host the anniversary game of the IPL 2025. It was on this day in 2008 when the league came into existence, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing the first game of the tournament. Punjab Kings will want to leave their imprint on the special game with the bat and ball as the two sides see the race for the top four heat up. 

Rajat Patidar and his side have won four games out of six and each of those wins has come on the road. It is their home form that will be a huge cause of concern for RCB team management and fans. Bengaluru lost to Gujarat and Delhi at home and will be coming up against a tough side who are high on confidence. RCB, though, have form under their belt, having beaten Rajasthan Royals by a comprehensive margin in their last match. 

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer’s side showed their grit and tenacity when they defended the lowest ever total in the history of the IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders. With such an amazing win, Punjab Kings have become one of the top sides favoured to win the IPL title. Yuzvendra Chahal, who picked four wickets in the last game, heads back to Chinnaswamy Stadium and looks to put in yet another match-winning performance with the ball. 

Also Check: RCB vs PBKS Rain Update - How SubAir works at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium

IPL 2025: RCB vs PBKS,  Match 34—Today’s Match Prediction

Most Runs 

Former India and RCB skipper Virat Kohli is the second highest run-scorer against Punjab Kings with 1030 runs. Kohli has been in terrific form with the bat since the start of the season. The 36-year-old has scored one tonne and five half-centuries against PBKS and will be one of the key batters to look out for from the encounter on Friday. 

Most wickets 

Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL and bowled his heart out in the last game against Kolkata. The veteran leg-spinner knows the conditions well having spent eight seasons with RCB. Chahal has a knack of picking key wickets and considering that Kohli and a few of the RCB batters struggle against quality spin, Chahal could be a crucial bowler. 

Player of the match (POTM) 

On current form, Phil Salt is the biggest danger for Punjab Kings bowlers. The English batter has been destructive with the bat in the powerplay overs, as seen in the last few games. At this venue, Salt has taken the attack to the bowlers but hasn’t been able to score a big one so far. Salt could be one of the key players in the RCB vs PBKS game and is a leading candidate for the player of the match award. 

RCB vs PBKS match & winner prediction 

Despite losing two games at home, RCB will start as favourites in the match against Punjab Kings. Rajat Patidar will be looking at the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Liam Livingstone, Yash Dayal, and Krunal Pandya to perform better.

The likes of Devdutt Padikkal and Tim David will be key players, as the duo have been in decent run-scoring form. RCB will also bank on their tremendous crowd support, which is expected to come out in huge numbers on Friday.