Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 clash between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, to be held in Mullanpur on Thursday, will be a humdinger of a match.
He added that despite RCB beating Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets, PBKS have the edge over them due to the Shreyas Iyer-led side featuring in the playoff clash at their home ground, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
The winner of Qualifier 1 will directly enter the title clash, to be held on 3 June at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, whilst the losing team will take on the eliminator-winning team at the same venue on 1 June. RCB have just a day's break to prepare for Qualifier 1 as their win over LSG happened on Tuesday night at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
"Both Punjab Kings and RCB have momentum. It's going to be a humdinger of a match. Punjab may have a slight edge playing at home. But RCB can absolutely respond. After this match and this kind of batting performance by RCB? One hundred per cent," said Uthappa on JioHotstar.
RCB's astonishing six-wicket win, coming on the back of fifties from Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma, meant that their dream of winning a first-ever IPL title is still on after finishing in second place in the points table with 19 points, with PBKS being table-toppers due to superior net run rate.
Uthappa, who won IPL titles with Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, feels Kohli will be more than determined to step up yet again for RCB in the playoffs. "From this victory (over LSG), one person who'll still be up is Virat Kohli. He gets that chance again to go into the back end of the tournament and try to win that IPL championship for RCB &mdash; a trophy he definitely wants in his cabinet.
"These lads &mdash; Jitesh Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, and Nuwan Thushara &mdash; all delivered. Everyone bowled and batted so well. They deserve to be in the top two. The belief they showed, the conviction they had, was incredible," he concluded.
--IANS
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Viral Kohli hitting the ball on the off side

Robin Uthappa backs thrilling clash as Punjab Kings host Royal Challengers Bengaluru

IPL 2025: PBKS vs RCB Qualifier 1 Preview

Robin Uthappa backs thrilling clash as Punjab Kings host Royal Challengers Bengaluru

May 28, 2025 | 16:50 IST