Rajat Patidar, leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025, won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. With a spot in the final on the line, RCB will look to make the most of the early conditions on a pitch expected to offer good pace and carry.

“The wicket looks pretty hard. We’ll try to maximise the first few overs while bowling first. We gave more than 100% against LSG. Hazlewood comes in for Thushara,” said Patidar at the toss.

PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer said he would have preferred to bowl but remains confident in his side’s batting: “Would have liked to bowl but pretty optimistic about batting first. Boys have been electrifying while stepping onto the field. Lifts the momentum and gives a lot of positivity. Azmat Omarzai comes in for Marco Jansen.”

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who is chasing history tonight. The RCB veteran is just one fifty away from equalling David Warner’s record for the most half-centuries in a single IPL season. Kohli has racked up 602 runs in 13 games at a phenomenal average of 60.20 and a strike rate of 147.91.

Pitch Report:

The surface at Mullanpur promises runs, with significant grass cover aiding batters. However, the presence of moisture and a possibility of dew later on could give chasing sides a slight advantage. Out of four matches at this venue, three night games were won by teams batting first, while the only day game saw a successful chase.