Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Players: Complete Squad Breakdown, Head-to-Head Record & IPL 2025 Final Review
The PBKS vs RCB rivalry is one of the most storied and emotionally charged fixtures in the Indian Premier League. From the very first edition in 2008 to the unforgettable IPL 2025 Final, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have produced cricket of the highest intensity. This article takes a deep dive into the Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru players, comparing their squads position by position, exploring key performers, analyzing the PBKS vs RCB head to head record, and helping fantasy cricket fans with their Dream11 picks for PBKS vs RCB.
Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Players: A Rivalry Born in 2008
On May 5, 2008, RCB vs Punjab Kings first met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during IPL’s inaugural season. Twitter Kings XI Punjab then won that match by six wickets. In fact, Punjab won their first three games against Bengaluru before RCB finally managed a win in IPL 2009 in Durban. Both teams developed passionate and loyal support over time, but ironically neither could lift an IPL trophy for nearly 20 years — until that was the case in 2025.
IPL 2025: The Season Both Teams Dreamed Of
But 2025 was a special IPL for both franchises. Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings, who had an entirely new side after the mega auction, to finish at the top of the table in the league stage. They won five of their first seven matches, playing perhaps the best ‘unit cricket’ in franchise history with power hitting complemented by disciplined bowling.
Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar was also captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru side that had one of its best seasons in years after ending second in the league table. Virat Kohli was the lynchpin in their run-heavy batting unit while a pace-heavy bowling attack did the rest.
All of which brought us to Ahmedabad on June 3, 2025, as both teams — one clad in red, the other also clad in red clashed in what goes down as one the more dramatic finals not just IPL final but many a tournament final. Batting first, RCB ended with 190/9, with Kohli scoring a crucial 43 in this innings.
PBKS gave a tough fight but only reached 184/7 in 20 overs. RCB beat Delhi Dares ¹ by 6 runs to lift their first IPL Trophy after an 18-year wait. With the ball, it was Krunal Pandya turning in a fabulous spell in the middle-overs set as he sent down 4 overs for just 17 runs (2 huge scalps)
Punjab Kings Squad 2025 Full Players List
IPL 2025 Punjab Kings playing 11 against RCB: Followed strategy of attacking opening batters with mixed death bowling. Punjab Kings squad 2025 full player list:
Punjab Kings Squad 2025 Full Players List
| Category | Players |
| Captain | Shreyas Iyer |
| Batters | Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Pyla Avinash |
| Wicket-Keepers | Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod |
| All-Rounders | Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh |
| Bowlers | Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Pravin Dubey |
Punjab Kings Strongest Playing XI (IPL 2025)
| No. | Player | Role |
| 1 | Priyansh Arya | Batter |
| 2 | Prabhsimran Singh (WK) | Wicket-Keeper Batter |
| 3 | Shreyas Iyer (C) | Batter |
| 4 | Nehal Wadhera | Batter |
| 5 | Marcus Stoinis | All-Rounder |
| 6 | Shashank Singh | All-Rounder |
| 7 | Josh Inglis | Wicket-Keeper Batter |
| 8 | Marco Jansen | All-Rounder |
| 9 | Harpreet Brar | Bowler |
| 10 | Arshdeep Singh | Bowler |
| 11 | Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
Total Squad Size: 25 Players
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
Key Overseas Players: Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett.
Batters: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Suryansh Shedge Pyla Avinash
Wicket-Keeper: Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Josh Inglis
All-Rounders: Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis & Marco Jansen
Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett,Yash Thakur,Vijaykumar Vyshak Kuldeep Sen Pravin Dubey
The most expensive picks from the mega auction for IPL 2025 were Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75 crore) and at ₹18 crore each, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal. Combined with a big-hitting captain, India’s best left-arm pacer and the leg-spinner in T20 cricket; PBKS found themselves with some serious fire power.
An aggressive partnership of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh at the top, scorers at different strokes at will. Another performer from IPL 2024, Shashank Singh who impressed with his finishing during the season continued to serve an important role down the order. PBKS also had one of the most balanced bowling units in the tournament spearheaded by Arshdeep Singh and supported by New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson as well as South Africa’s Marco Jansen.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad 2025 Full Players List
This was one of the most balanced RCB squad players list in IPL 2025. Related News IPL 2023: RCB Playing 11 vs PBKS, Full Squad you are covered The Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing 11 vs Punjab Kings and full squad is as follows:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad 2025 Full Players List
| Category | Players |
| Captain | Rajat Patidar |
| Batters | Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, Jacob Bethell |
| Wicket-Keepers | Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Tim Seifert |
| All-Rounders | Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee, Swapnil Singh |
| Bowlers | Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Strongest Playing XI (IPL 2025)
| No. | Player | Role |
| 1 | Phil Salt (WK) | Wicket-Keeper Batter |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | Batter |
| 3 | Rajat Patidar (C) | Batter |
| 4 | Devdutt Padikkal | Batter |
| 5 | Liam Livingstone | All-Rounder |
| 6 | Jitesh Sharma | Wicket-Keeper Batter |
| 7 | Krunal Pandya | All-Rounder |
| 8 | Romario Shepherd | All-Rounder |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| 10 | Josh Hazlewood | Bowler |
| 11 | Yash Dayal | Bowler |
Total Squad Size: 24 Players
Captain: Rajat Patidar
Key Overseas Players: Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Tim Seifert, Jacob Bethell, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara.
Batters: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, Jacob Bethell.
Wicket keeper: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Tim Seifert
All Rounders: Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee, Swapnil Singh
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Swastik Chikkara Abhinandan Singh
RCB batting lineup 2025: Virat Kohli ₹21 crore (retained) Rajat Patidar, captain & aggressive middle-order bat for ₹11 crore, Phil Salt who brings English T20 flair to the top for ₹11.50 crore.
He had a pop in the middle-order as Liam Livingstone (₹ 8.75 crore) played aggressively whatever the conditions demanded from him.
RCB also cobbled together a wonderful pace arsenal on the bowling side of things. But with his knack of cleaning up wickets in the powerplay and at death, Josh Hazlewood (₹12.50 crore)was the overseas premium pick.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has experience and can swing the new ball (₹10.75 crore), Yash Dayal and Rasikh Dar have youth, pace, although both are yet to make their mark in T20 cricket.
Also read this: Rohit Sharma IPL Runs List | Dharamshala Match Tickets Price | IPL 2026 Top Run Scorer
Key Player Matchups: PBKS vs RCB
| Matchup | Why It Matters | Advantage |
| Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh | Kohli’s consistency against pace vs Arshdeep’s swing and death-over skills | Even Contest |
| Phil Salt vs Yuzvendra Chahal | Salt attacks spin aggressively while Chahal looks for middle-over breakthroughs | Chahal Slight Edge |
| Prabhsimran Singh vs Josh Hazlewood | Explosive opener against a world-class powerplay bowler | Hazlewood Edge |
| Shreyas Iyer vs Krunal Pandya | Iyer’s middle-order stability vs Krunal’s control and wicket-taking ability | Even Contest |
| Marcus Stoinis vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Experience battle between power-hitting and swing bowling | Even Contest |
| Josh Inglis vs Suyash Sharma | Aggressive batting against a mystery spinner | Inglis Slight Edge |
| Virat Kohli vs Yuzvendra Chahal | Battle between IPL’s top run-scorer and one of its leading wicket-takers | Kohli Slight Edge |
| Rajat Patidar vs Marco Jansen | Patidar’s attacking intent against Jansen’s bounce and movement | Even Contest |
Top 3 Matchups to Watch
| Rank | Matchup | Impact Level |
| 1 | Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 2 | Prabhsimran Singh vs Josh Hazlewood | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 3 | Phil Salt vs Yuzvendra Chahal | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Virat Kohli vs Punjab Kings — A Dominant Record
The numbers speak for themselves: with other franchises being a lot closer to where Virat Kohli’s performance against Punjab Kings in IPL is concerned. RCB’s all-time highest score against Punjab was Chris Gayle’s blistering 117 off 57 balls; of course, Kohli has been pretty prolific: A sublime, streaky, 92 at Dharamsala in IPL-2024 helped RCB to 241/7 in a -60-run across-the-seas win.
His 43 (off 28 balls) in the 2025 Final set up a total of 190/9 for RCB — not blistering by any means, but absolutely vital on a pressure-filled night at his home ground.
Arshdeep Singh vs RCB — The Pace Spearhead
Arshdeep Singh is the best left-arm pacer in T20 cricket He is by far the biggest weapon that Punjab Kings have in their bowling arsenal, the swing with the new ball and yorkers at death. He took 3 wickets in the IPL 2025 Final to keep it interesting for PBKS. Those performances against RCB in the season prove why he is worth an ₹18 crore.
Krunal Pandya — The Unsung IPL Hero
When you think of the PBKS vs RCB IPL 2025 Final one player stood out as the difference maker in the game and that was Krunal Pandya. His 2/17 from a tight middle-overs spell which ousted the set batters Prabhsimran Singh (26) and Josh Inglis (39) helped pegged-back their scoring as PBKS appeared to be cruising. He deserved the Player of the Match award and perhaps this effort was as decisive a contribution as any other in the whole tournament.
Shashank Singh — Punjab’s Finisher
Matchup: Shashank Singh vs RCB (fantasy cricket lovers live for these matchups) The Punjab batter, who is known for taking the game deep and finishing off chases was overall in splendid form in IPL 2025. He couldn’t add another miracle to his name in the final, though, with RCB’s bowlers holding him back during the key closing overs.
PBKS vs RCB Head to Head Record — All-Time Stats
The PBKS vs RCB head to head record all time is extensive, with the two sides having met over 30 times across all IPL editions. Some noteworthy milestones:
- First meeting: May 5, 2008 — KXIP won by 6 wickets
- Punjab’s biggest win by runs: IPL 2011, by 111 runs. Adam Gilchrist (106) and Shaun Marsh (79*) put on 206 for the second wicket — the highest partnership in the fixture history
- RCB’s biggest win by runs: IPL 2015, by 138 runs. Chris Gayle smashed 117 off 57 balls as RCB posted 226/3 before bowling Punjab out for 88
- Punjab’s biggest win by wickets: IPL 2009, won by 9 wickets chasing just 143
- RCB’s biggest win by wickets: IPL 2018, won by 10 wickets chasing 89
- Punjab’s longest winning streak vs RCB: 5 consecutive wins between 2012 and 2014
- RCB’s longest winning streak vs PBKS: 4 consecutive wins between 2018 and 2019
- Highest individual score in the fixture: KL Rahul — 132* (for Punjab)
- Most memorable fixture: IPL 2025 Final — RCB won by 6 runs to claim their maiden title
Fantasy Cricket: Best Dream11 Picks for PBKS vs RCB
For those looking at the best fantasy team for PBKS vs RCB IPL match, here is a structured approach:
Premium Picks (Captain/Vice-Captain):
- Virat Kohli — Consistent performer against Punjab, massive returns in big matches
- Arshdeep Singh — A wicket-taking machine in every game
- Krunal Pandya — Proven match-winner in the death overs
Value Picks:
- Prabhsimran Singh — Explosive opener, good for powerplay points
- Priyansh Arya — Young and fearless at the top of the order
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar — Swing in the powerplay often yields early wickets
Differential Picks (Low Ownership but High Potential):
- Josh Inglis — Impact batter capable of a quick cameo
- Yash Dayal — Death over specialist who can take 2–3 wickets
When choosing which players to pick from PBKS vs RCB for Dream11, always factor in the pitch report and toss result. At venues where the ball swings or the track is slow, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar become premium selections. On flat batting tracks, load up on top-order batters like Kohli, Prabhsimran, and Patidar.
Pitch Report and Toss Prediction: PBKS vs RCB
Venue history is also an important aspect to mention when it comes to the Punjab Kings vs RCB pitch report and toss prediction. Batting first has largely been the dominant strategy at neutral venues used in playoffs, with par totals roughly in the range of 170–200. It’s a cliche that when there is remember coming into play in the later innings, chasing teams have the edge at a venue providing an evening dew.
As such, while LinkedIn made its debut last year and Twitter can make up the trend by areas of interest You’re main focus to continue working competitively with Website for everything Inc., toss predictions generally favor Movement Teams.
In evening dew conditions, even if a ball sticks to surface it skids better in the second innings and slow bowlers fight to grip then Mars cocoa pudding mix gallon size Banned A Dangerous 20-Hour Drink PBKS elect to field in IPL 2025 Final — This decision almost paid off with PBKS getting past the finish line on the last ball of the final over.
Who Will Win: PBKS vs RCB
Every PBKS vs RCB fan asks: Who will win today’s IPL match? Taking into account recent form, squad depth and individual brilliance, this very much is one of the most unpredictable fixtures at this stage of an IPL tournament. RCB are always in the race for the title with someone like Virat Kohli.
Led by pace bowlers like Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar and Yash Dayal their layoff pace lined up an even thornier threat. Punjab Kings vs RCB have the top order firepower of Priyansh and Prabhsimran, Stoinis and Maxwell’s experience in the middle, while Arshdeep and Jansen bring with them sheer, unadulterated pace to rattle any batting line-up.
Every PBKS vs RCB match sees both sides as true equals. The Final in 2025 showed that even 6 runs does not separate them on the biggest stage.
Conclusion
Some of Indian cricket’s greatest memories have emerged from the rivalry between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru — Adam Gilchrist’s 106 in Dharamsala, Chris Gayle’s carnage in Bengaluru, KL Rahul’s 132*Krunal Pandya dominating the 2025 Final. Both franchises boast die-hard fan bases that pack the stadiums and break social media every Sunday.
In the PBKS vs RCB players comparison we see two teams with opposing but complimenting identities, with Punjab Kings representing a free, fearless batting culture and the name Royal Challengers Bangalore presenting itself as the premier living brand of ‘superstar power’ built around Virat Kohli. And all the while, they are still adding some of the most amazing chapters to IPL history.
Whether you are following for the live score and match highlights, PBKS vs RCB head to head record all time, or building your Dream11 fantasy team; this is one fixture which you simply cannot miss.
FAQs
1. Who are the key players to watch in PBKS vs RCB IPL matches?
The key players to watch in PBKS vs RCB matches include Virat Kohli, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Phil Salt, Josh Hazlewood, and Yuzvendra Chahal. These players often have a major impact on the result.
2. What is the best Dream11 team for PBKS vs RCB today?
The best Dream11 team for PBKS vs RCB should include top performers such as Virat Kohli, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Josh Hazlewood, and Krunal Pandya, depending on pitch and toss conditions.
3. Who has the better squad between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025?
Punjab Kings have a strong mix of power hitters and wicket-taking bowlers, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru possess experienced match-winners like Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood. Both squads are well-balanced for IPL 2025.
4. What are the most important player matchups in PBKS vs RCB?
The biggest player matchups in PBKS vs RCB include Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh vs Josh Hazlewood, and Phil Salt vs Yuzvendra Chahal.
5. Who scored the most runs in PBKS vs RCB head-to-head matches?
Virat Kohli is among the leading run-scorers in PBKS vs RCB encounters and has consistently delivered match-winning performances against Punjab Kings.
6. Which bowlers have the best records in PBKS vs RCB IPL games?
Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harpreet Brar have been among the most effective bowlers in PBKS vs RCB IPL matches.
