Indian Premier League will crown a new champion when Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Punjab Kings in the final on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, with both teams eyeing their maiden IPL title.
High-flying RCB stormed into the title clash after outclassing Punjab Kings by eight wickets in the Qualifier 2 match. However, a spirited Punjab Kings bounced back to overpower Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator match to qualify for the final.
Both Punjab Kings and RCB dominated the league stages, finishing level on 19 points, with nine wins from 14 games and a washout.
This is only the second time that Punjab Kings have reached the IPL final, while it is the fourth time that RCB have made it to the title clash.
How RCB and Punjab Kings fared in previous IPL finals:
RCB (IPL Finals: 2009, 2011, 2016)
2009
RCB will aim to finally end their long wait for an IPL title at their fourth attempt.
RCB reached the IPL final for the first time in 2009 under Anil Kumble's captaincy in the second season of the T20 league.
Captain Anil Kumble starred with excellent figures of 4/16 in four overs but RCB's batters fumbled an easy run chase, losing to Deccan Chargers after failing to chase 144 in the IPL final in Johannesburg on May 24, 2009.
Electing to bowl, Kumble's brilliance helped RCB restrict Deccan Chargers to a below-par 143/6. Herschelle Gibbs top-scored with 53 not out from 48 balls, while Andrew Symonds scored 33 from 21 balls. A young Rohit Sharma contributed with a vital knock of 24 from 23 balls, putting on 52 runs for the fourth wicket with Gibbs.
However, RCB stumbled in the run chase with spinner Pragyan Ojha taking 3/28. RCB were looking on course at one stage before Symonds claimed the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with successive deliveries in the 15th over.
2011
RCB again reached the IPL final two years later. However, a strong RCB unit featuring superstars like Kohli, Chris Gayle and A B de Villiers came undone against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.
A rampaging CSK batted RCB out of the game as they posted a massive 205/5 after electing to bat at their home ground in Chennai.
Openers Michael Hussey (63 from 45 balls) and Murali Vijay (95 from 42 balls) took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners, putting on 159 runs for the opening wicket from 14.5 overs.
In reply, RCB never challenged with the bat. After Ravichandran Ashwin (3/16) dismissed Gayle for a duck in the first over, things went downhill for RCB.
Kohli struggled to score quickly as he made a sedate 35 from 32 balls, with one six and a four, before he was trapped leg before wicket by spinner part-time spinner Suresh Raina, while de Villiers fell in the same fashion to spinner Shadab Jakati for 18 as RCB once again came up short in the final.
CSK became the first team to successfully defend the IPL title.
2016
In their third final, Kohli-led RCB another heartbreak, narrowly missing out on the IPL title after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring match.
Captain David Warner gave SRH a blazing start as the left-hander smashed 69 from 38 balls, carting the RCB bowlers to all parts of the ground in Bengaluru. Ben Cutting played a stunning cameo of 39 from 15 balls, with four sixes, to guide SRH past the 200-run mark.
RCB made a bright start in the run chase with Gayle (76 from 38 balls) and Kohli (54 from 35 balls) putting on 114 runs for the opening wicket from 10.3 overs.
At the halfway stage, RCB were still in the hunt. However, it was Cutting, who once again made the difference as he dismissed Gayle in the 11th over. Pacer Barinder Sran accounted for Kohli a couple of overs later. De Villiers, K L Rahul and Shane Watson all failed with the bat as SRH's bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets as RCB finished on 200/7.
Punjab Kings (IPL Finals: 2014)
Semi-finalists in the inaugural IPL in 2008, Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) finally went past the league stage after five years as they made it to the final in IPL 2014.
Led by Australian George Bailey, Punjab Kings were dominant in the league stage with 11 wins from 14 games to finish top of the standings.
Put in to bat, Punjab recovered after the early dismissal of Virender Sehwag (7) and Bailey (1) in the Powerplay courtesy of a blistering century from Wriddhiman Saha, who stroked 115 out from 55 balls. Manan Vohra hit 76 from 52 balls as Punjab finished on a healthy 199/4 in their 20 overs.
However, Manish Pandey took the game away from Punjab as the KKR No 3 played a match-winning knock of 94 from 50 balls, putting on 71 runs for the third wicket with Yusuf Pathan (36).
Piyush Chawla finished off things in style as he hit Parvinder Awana for a boundary over point in the final as KKR won by three wickets with three balls to spare to claim their second IPL title after 2012.
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