RR vs PBKS Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2025 match?

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will have distinctly different motivations as the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) resumes. When they face off on Sunday, May 18 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Punjab will have an eye on sustaining their pre-break momentum and finishing in the top two. Rajasthan, meanwhile, have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and building towards the next edition of the tournament will likely be their primary focus.

Both teams will have different sides to put out this time. Mitchell Owen and Kyle Jamieson are in line to make their debuts for PBKS, while Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Nandre Burger could turn out for RR. Royals captain Sanju Samson is expected to return and take over the reins from Riyan Parag.

It's the players who aren't there that'll concern both teams more than the players who are. For Punjab, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie are expected to be unavailable for selection as they haven't rejoined the squad yet. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer won't return for the remainder of the IPL, leaving Rajasthan's struggling bowling attack in further strife.

Nevertheless, the IPL's restart has been long-awaited, and after a washout in Bengaluru, we could see some good cricket being played in Jaipur.

RR's squad for IPL 2025: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Nandre Burger, Lhuan-dre Pretorius.

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.

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IPL 2025: Can PBKS sustain momentum without a couple of key players?

2025 IPL - Punjab Kings v Lucknow Super Giants - Source: Getty

Despite the absences of Stoinis and Inglis, PBKS are expected to be the favorites for this encounter. They have more firepower in the batting and bowling departments, while the think tank - comprising Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting - know a thing or two about holding their nerve under different and trying circumstances.

RR have tons of issues in the bowling department, and those are only going to get worse without Archer, who was clearly the pick of their bowlers before the IPL's suspension. The batting looks decent, with Samson's impending return and Yashasvi Jaiswal's consistency, but there are concerns in the middle order.

It's hard to say what shape these two teams will be in post the restart, so predicting a winner isn't an easy task. While the Royals certainly have the ability to pull off an upset, the Kings can be backed to get the job done and move to the top of the table.

Prediction: PBKS to win Match 59 of IPL 2025.