Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

The in-form Punjab Kings will take on the Rajasthan Royals in the 18th match of IPL 2025. The Kings are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with 2 wins in 2 games. Meanwhile, Rajasthan is in the 9th position with a win and two losses. Both teams will be eager to strengthen their position by winning this game. 

Punjab Kings have been arguably the best side so far in IPL 2025. Their batters have been in good form and the bowlers have done a great job. And after all this, they have been far from their true potential with the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen yet to fire. 

Shreyas Iyer has been exceptional as the captain and has led the side from the front. Punjab Kings will be eyeing their third consecutive win in this game. 

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals defeated CSK by 6 runs in their last game to register their first win of this season. Nitish Rana (81 runs), Wanindu Hasaranga (3/35) and Jofra Archer (2/13) were the star performers for them. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form will be a big concern for them. 

Archer’s form will be a big boost for the Royals but they’ll need their batters, especially the top 3 to perform consistently. It will be a big test for them in this game. 

IPL 2025 18th Match: PBKS vs RR Possible Playing XIs

Both sides are expected to be unchanged for this match.

Punjab Kings: 1. Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2. Priyansh Arya, 3. Shreyas Iyer (c), 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Nehal Wadehra, 6. Shashank Singh, 7. Glenn Maxwell, 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Marcus Stoinis, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Lockie Ferguson 12. Yuzvendra Chahal (Impact)

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Sanju Samson, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Nitish Rana, 4. Riyan Parag (c), 5. Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6. Shimron Hetmyer, 7. Shubham Dubey, 8. Wanindu Hasaranga, 9.  Jofra Archer, 10. Tushar Deshpande,, 11. Sandeep Sharma 12. Shubham Dubey (Impact)

Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium Mullanpur Pitch Report and Weather

The pitch at Mullanpur is known for assisting the pacers with the new ball. The dimensions here are on the bigger side which keeps the spinners in play. The batters will be in for a big score after the new ball burst from the pacers. Scores in the range of 180-200 are expected in this match. Teams will prefer chasing if they win the toss.

The weather will be clear with no chance of rain. The temperature will be around 31 degrees Celsius at the start of the game.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for PBKS vs RR: Top Picks/Key Players to Watch

Note: Try to pick more batters and all-rounders if you are playing on Dream11. The new point system rewards the batters heavily.

Top Wicket-Keeper Picks: 

• Sanju Samson has 738 runs in 26 innings against Punjab Kings at an average of 36.90 and strike rate of 142.70 including two fifties and a century. He last scored a 50+ score against Punjab back in 2021. Sanju will be a good fantasy pick.  
• Dhruv Jurel will be a key batter for the Royals in the middle order. Considering the top order’s form, he should get ample game time in this game and will be a top fantasy pick.  

Key batter picks: 

• Yashasvi Jaiswal is going through a lean phase with the bat. He has 221 runs in 6 innings against PBKS at an average of 36.80 and has struck at 144.40 with a couple of fifties. This could be the game he rediscovers his touch.
• Shreyas Iyer has been in sublime form this season and will be a must in your fantasy teams. Iyer has 366 runs in 11 innings against RR at an average of 33.30 including three fifties. He has two fifties in two games in IPL 2025.
• Shimron Hetmyer will be a top differential pick for this game. He has a good record against Punjab Kings: 173 runs in 7 innings at an average of 43.20 at a strike rate of 182.10. Hetmyer will bat in the lower middle order and can be a game-changer in fantasy cricket.

Top all-rounder picks: 

• Riyan Parag looked in good touch in the last game against CSK. He will bat at 4 and may bowl a few overs if required. Parag will be a top fantasy pick and a good C/VC choice as well.
• Glenn Maxwell has 404 runs in 16 innings against Rajasthan Royals at an average of 31.10 and has struck at a rate of 165.60 with 4 fifties to his name. Maxwell will fetch points from both the bat and the ball especially given RR have left-handers.
• Wanindu Hasaranga has 5 wickets in 3 games against PBKS. He won the game for his side against CSK and will fancy his chances against Punjab’s middle order in this match. Hasaranga may get promoted with the bat as well.
• The conditions at Mullanpur should suit Marco Jansen’s bowling and he will be another good differential pick. He can trouble Rajasthan’s top order and is expected to bowl an over towards the end as well. Try him in Mini GLs/GLs.

Key bowler picks: 

• Yuzvendra Chahal has 18 wickets in 12 innings against Rajasthan Royals. He played for them from 2021 to 2024 but now he will fancy his chances against RR’s middle order. 
• Arshdeep Singh has 17 wickets in nine games against the Royals. He picked up 3 wickets in the last game and will be a top fantasy pick for this match as well. Try him as C/VC in the big leagues, especially while bowling first.

Other Players to Consider for Your Fantasy Cricket Teams

• Nitish Rana played a solid knock against CSK in the last game but may struggle against Punjab’s bowlers in this game. Despite that, he can be a good fantasy pick. He has 284 runs at an average of 23.70 with three fifties against PBKS

Other picks you can consider: 

• Marcus Stoinis
• Nehal Wadhera
• Jofra Archer
• Prabhsimran Singh
• Sandeep Sharma (Bowling first)

Match Facts and Other Important Matchups

• Head to Head: Matches: 28; PBKS (12), RR (16)
• Shreyas Iyer vs Sandeep Sharma: 56 deliveries, 47 runs, 3 dismissals.
• Sanju Samson vs Yuzvendra Chahal: 51 deliveries, 52 runs, 5 dismissals.
• Nitish Rana vs Yuzvendra Chahal: 76 deliveries, 94 runs, 6 dismissals.
• Glenn Maxwell vs Sandeep Sharma: 15 deliveries, 25 runs, 2 dismissals.
• Marcus Stoinis vs Sandeep Sharma: 21 deliveries, 23 runs, 2 dismissals.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Arshdeep Singh: 20 deliveries, 26 runs, 2 dismissals.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Marcus Stoinis: 15 deliveries, 18 runs, 3 dismissals.

IPL 2025 18th Match: PBKS vs RR Dream11 Prediction 

Option 1:

Option 2:

IPL 2025 18th Match: PBKS vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win?

Punjab Kings are the better side compared to the Rajasthan Royals on every front. They have the best batting depth in the entire tournament and they have ample depth and variety with the ball as well. Punjab Kings should win this game.