Not Mumbai Indians, former Orange Cap winner picks IPL 2025 finalists ahead of playoffs

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa picked the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) as the two IPL 2025 finalists ahead of the playoffs, starting Thursday, May 29. While PBKS locked up a top-two finish with a commanding win over the Mumbai Indians (MI) last night, RCB will need to win their final league stage game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) tonight (May 27) to confirm the same.

Should RCB lose to LSG, Gujarat Titans (GT) will finish second, leaving RCB and MI to battle in the Eliminator as the third and fourth seeds.

Looking ahead to the IPL 2025 playoffs, Uthappa made his final picks on JioStar, saying (via NDTV):

"I have a strong feeling the final is going to be between RCB and Punjab. I've said it from the beginning, I believe it's going to be Punjab and RCB. For me, Arshdeep Singh hasn't quite fired yet, and that actually augurs well for Punjab. It means he's due for a big performance and will be raring to go in crucial games."

He continued:

"You want momentum at the right point in the tournament and the right kind of impetus going into the playoffs. They (RCB) need to close out games effectively, and Virat Kohli has to be the chase master we know he is — batting through the 20 overs. When he does that, it builds pressure on the opposition, especially in the death overs."

RCB and PBKS are two of the three teams (Delhi Capitals are the other) to have never won an IPL title despite playing in all the previous 17 editions. While RCB last made the final in 2016, PBKS qualified for their lone IPL final in 2024.

"He felt underappreciated at KKR" - Robin Uthappa on Shreyas Iyer

Robin Uthappa praised PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer for leading the side to playoff qualification for the first time since 2014. Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on a dominant title run last year before joining PBKS at the 2025 auction.

The 30-year-old is the first captain in IPL history to lead three different franchises (DC, KKR, and PBKS) to the playoffs.

"Shreyas has always been an exceptional captain. You always sensed that he felt underappreciated at KKR despite adding value there. He moved to a franchise where not much had been achieved historically - and then went on to win it for them. That says a lot about his leadership and belief," said Uthappa (via aforementioned source).

Having finished in the top two, PBKS will have two chances to win one game to advance to the grand finale. They will take on RCB or GT in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur on Thursday, May 29.