The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have qualified for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs, and given their history, that in itself is an achievement. But Shreyas Iyer and Co. will know that the job is not done – with two league-stage matches remaining, they need to be at the top of their game if they are secure a spot in Qualifier 1.
In a positive sign for PBKS, both the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have slipped up in recent times. Their upcoming fixture against the Mumbai Indians (MI) will probably have the biggest say in whether they finish in the top two, but before that, Punjab will need to get over the line against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
This fixture, which was held in Dharamsala just before the IPL was suspended, has now moved to Jaipur. On Saturday, May 24, the Kings will face off against the now eliminated Capitals, who have been dreadul in both departments lately.
Amid a rough streak of losses and no-results, DC are no longer in playoff contention and have only pride as well as the next season to play for. There are also concerns over the availability of Axar Patel, who missed the last game with illness.
PBKS’ squad for IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett.
DC’s squad for IPL 2025: Tristan Stubbs, Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman.
IPL 2025: Can PBKS further top-two push?
It’s hard to see how DC can push themselves out of the slump they’re in. Their batting lineup hasn’t delivered at all, and the fast bowlers haven’t covered themselves in glory. Despite decent contributions from Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, the Capitals haven’t been a cohesive outfit.
PBKS have a couple of concerns of their own. Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis have rejoined the squad, which will boost their confidence ahead of this important encounter. Moreover, most of their players, particularly in the batting unit, are fit and firing.
It’s easy to name the favorites for this encounter. Punjab have been in better recent form, have more bases covered, and should enjoy playing at Jaipur more than their opponents. Delhi haven’t been able to put the pieces together, and it’ll be surprising if they are able to seriously challenge Shreyas and Co.
A team with nothing to lose is always dangerous, but PBKS should be able to get the job done on this occasion.
Prediction: PBKS to win Match 66 of IPL 2025.
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Edited by Sai Krishna
