"That is the contest" - Aakash Chopra on the potential deciding battles in PBKS vs RCB IPL 2025 Qualifier 1

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked two contests that could decide the fate of the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He opined that the battle between Shreyas Iyer and Josh Hazlewood, if the RCB seamer plays the game, would be the one to watch out for during PBKS' innings.

PBKS and RCB will square off in the first playoff game of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur on Thursday, May 29. While the winner will qualify for the final, the loser will face either the Gujarat Titans (GT) or the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener chose Shreyas against Hazlewood as one of the potential deciding contests in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1.

"The contests that could decide the fate of this match from Punjab's point of view - one will be Shreyas Iyer vs Josh Hazlewood, if he is playing. That is the contest. The match will progress properly, whether it's Josh Inglis or the two openers, but the job won't be done without Shreyas scoring runs, and who can get him out?" he said (6:35).

Chopra pointed out that premier pacers like Hazlewood and Jofra Archer have dismissed Shreyas cheaply in league games this season.

"The way Josh Hazlewood dismissed him, and Jofra Archer also dismissed him at this ground, your focus will be on him. That is the contest to watch out for, if I talk about their batting," he observed.

Josh Hazlewood had Shreyas Iyer caught behind by Jitesh Sharma for a 10-ball seven in RCB's IPL 2025 home league game against PBKS in Bengaluru on April 18. The PBKS skipper has managed nine runs at a paltry average of 3.00 against the RCB seamer in T20s.

"Arshdeep Singh vs Virat Kohli" - Aakash Chopra on the other potential deciding contest in PBKS vs RCB IPL 2025 Qualifier 1

Virat Kohli and Arshdeep Singh are key players for their respective sides. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra chose Arshdeep Singh against Virat Kohli as a potential deciding contest during RCB's innings in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1.

"In bowling, Arshdeep Singh vs Virat Kohli. Just like I am talking about Shreyas Iyer as a big player in a big match, there is no one bigger than Virat Kohli. You can pick any knockout game, the World Cup final, the semi-final we lost against England, or the Pakistan game, whenever the chips are down or you need somebody to fire, that's Virat Kohli," he said (7:10).

"Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh, left-arm pacer, there could be something in there. So that is one contest that might actually also define where this game will go," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Arshdeep Singh had Virat Kohli caught by Marco Jansen for a three-ball one in PBKS' IPL 2025 away league game against RCB in Bengaluru on April 18. The former RCB captain has amassed 93 runs at an average of 46.50 against the PBKS left-arm seamer in T20s.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer