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📰 Team News

Punjab Kings

Punjab delivered a dominant performance against Mumbai Indians in the qualifier, reinforcing their reputation as one of the most composed and powerful units this season. They showed tactical nous, particularly during the death overs, where their bowlers closed out the innings smartly. Despite two sloppy fielding errors that gave away extra runs, they restricted Mumbai below their potential.

Kyle Jamieson has slotted in effectively for Marco Jansen, offering better economy (7.5) and control. Yuzvendra Chahal returns to full fitness, which significantly strengthens Punjab’s spin options.

Probable XI: Arya, Prab Singh (Chahal sub), Inglis, Iyer, Wadhera, Stoinis, Shahshank, Omarzai, Jamieson, Vyshak, Arshdeep

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

RCB head into the final with momentum, having dismantled Punjab earlier in the playoffs. Their squad remains unchanged, which may raise eyebrows given Tim Seifert’s availability, yet the team backs Liam Livingstone to deliver, possibly valuing his all-round capabilities.

Josh Hazlewood looked sharp with three wickets in the qualifier, while Suyash Sharma emerged as a key impact player with a game-changing 3 for 17. Captain Rajat Patidar is fit to lead again.

Probable XI: Salt, Kohli, Patidar, Agarwal (Suyash sub), Livingstone, Jitesh, Shepherd, Krunal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dayal, Hazlewood

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🏟️ Venue & Pitch Report – Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad has consistently delivered high-scoring matches this season. The pitch is expected to be a fresh, hard surface prepared specifically for the final. Out of the last eight matches here, teams have crossed 200 on seven occasions, and 220-plus has been topped four times.

This venue heavily favors aggressive batting, with both teams likely to aim for totals well above par if batting first. Punjab have a higher six-hitting rate per match compared to RCB, who are more conservative in boundary hitting.

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🔍 Tactical Battle & Final Thoughts

The final pits two contrasting styles against each other:

Punjab Kings play with flair and controlled chaos. They have a higher strike rate, boundary percentage, and average team total compared to RCB. They also topped the league standings.

RCB rely on consistency, discipline, and clarity of role execution. They’ve won the last two head-to-head meetings, including a low-scoring rout of Punjab earlier in the playoffs.

While RCB may look more composed on paper, Punjab have stronger metrics overall. Their challenge lies in shaking off the psychological damage from that previous collapse against RCB, where they were bowled out for just 101.

The match could be decided by the toss. The team batting first may have the opportunity to post a huge total and control the game from the front.

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🌟 Players to Watch

Virat Kohli

Kohli has been in sublime form all season. He enjoys a favorable match-up against Punjab’s bowlers, averaging close to 40 across numerous innings. His calm at the top has been vital in anchoring RCB’s starts.

Suyash Sharma

An underrated match-winner. His performance in the qualifier showed why he’s RCB’s X-factor with the ball, especially on pitches that provide any assistance to spin.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Now fully fit, Chahal holds a brilliant record against RCB’s top order. His experience and variation could prove pivotal, particularly if Punjab bowl second and are defending a total.

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🏆 A New Champion Awaits

Regardless of the outcome, the IPL will crown a new champion—either Punjab or Bengaluru will lift their first title. Punjab may be the statistical favorites, but RCB have the upper hand in momentum and recent head-to-heads. It promises to be a final worthy of the season’s drama, filled with pace, spin, and potentially, fireworks.