3 player battles to watch out for in RCB vs PBKS, Final of IPL 2025 ft. Shreyas Iyer

After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 to reach the IPL 2025 Final, the latter defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 to seal their berth in the title clash. RCB and PBKS will be eyeing their maiden IPL trophy when they face off on Tuesday, June 3, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Since neither RCB nor PBKS have won an IPL title in the previous 17 editions, the 2025 season will see a new team lifting the coveted cup and being named the champions. Both teams performed tremendously in their respective previous matches and will be raring to go when they face each other tonight.

With the stage set for the big clash, we look at the three-player battles to watch out for in the IPL 2025 final between RCB and PBKS:

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#3 Virat Kohli vs Kyle Jamieson

Virat Kohli has been in great form with the bat this season, having played some fine knocks while opening the innings alongside Phil Salt. RCB’s batting performance highly depends on how the openers perform, and the two players have been key to the team’s success.

The former RCB skipper will face PBKS’ new-ball bowler Kyle Jamieson, who dismissed him in their previous meeting (Qualifier 1). Though he could manage just one wicket against MI in Qualifier 2, Jamieson struck at the right time to dismiss Tilak Varma (44 off 29).

In T20s, Jamieson has dismissed Kohli once, with the latter scoring five runs off the six deliveries faced. However, the duo have had memorable face-offs in international cricket, where the Kiwi speedster has picked Kohli’s wicket thrice.

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#2 Josh Inglis vs Josh Hazlewood

Josh Inglis has shown tremendous intent in all his outings this season and will be raring to go when PBKS take on RCB in the fate-deciding encounter tonight. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood will look to get the dangerous batter out of his team’s way, like he did in Qualifier 1.

Hazlewood dismissed both Inglis and PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer to provide RCB with a breakthrough in the game, which eventually helped them bag a landslide victory.

In six deliveries from two innings, Inglis has managed to score just three runs and has fallen prey to Hazlewood twice. With both players in top form, it’ll be interesting to see who gets the upper hand in the upcoming summit clash.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer vs Suyash Sharma

In Qualifier 2 against Mumbai, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer played one of the best knocks of his life, and probably the finest knock this season, as he guided his team home with an unbeaten 87-run knock from 41 balls. His innings included five fours and eight maximums, and he’ll look to carry the same momentum in the upcoming game, given he’ll be playing at the same venue.

Suyash Sharma, meanwhile, put up a ‘Player of the Match’ performance against PBKS when the two teams clashed in Qualifier 1. He picked up three wickets, recording 3/17 in three overs as the Shreyas Iyer-led team was bundled out for 101 in 14.1 overs.

Iyer has been in great touch and has faced pacers and spinners equally well. Hence, it’ll be interesting to see how this battle pans out.