Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey

For IPL lovers, the 34th match of the 2025 season promises to be a cracker. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) return home to face Punjab Kings (PBKS), who are fresh off an unbelievable defence of 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.

Both sides are in the top four, making this an important game given Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad play on Thursday. The loser falls back into the pack, whereas the winner hassome important breathing room.

RCB come into this game with four wins, but all have come away from home. They have lost their two matches at the M Chinnaswamy so far, so this, as well as their fielding, are two key areas of improvement as their batting and bowling are holding up nicely.

PBKS travel to Bengaluru after a stunning win over KKR, led by Yuzvendra Chahal’s superb four-wicket haul. How quickly the Kings can shift their focus to this game will be key. With leaders Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting at the helm, they will be doing their bit to ensure they are ready to pick up an important win.

In this article, we will look at the possible playing XIIs, M Chinnaswamy pitch report, fantasy cricket tips and Dream11 prediction for the 34th match of IPL 2025.

IPL 2025 34th Match: RCB vs PBKS Possible Playing XIIs

RCB may stick with the same XII that smashed RR by nine wickets last weekend.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1. Phil Salt (OS), 2. Virat Kohli, 3. Devdutt Padikkal, 4. Rajat Patidar (c), 5. Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6. Liam Livingstone (OS), 7. Tim David (OS), 8. Krunal Pandya, 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10. Josh Hazlewood (OS), 11. Yash Dayal, 12. Suyash Sharma

PBKS may also stick with the same XI that won a thriller against KKR, with the impact player depending on the match situation.

Punjab Kings: 1. Priyansh Arya, 2. Prabhsimran Singh, 3. Shreyas Iyer (c), 4. Josh Inglis (OS, wk), 5. Nehal Wadhera, 6. Glenn Maxwell (OS), 7. Shashank Singh, 8. Marco Jansen (OS), 9. Xavier Bartlett (OS), 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal, 12. Yash Thakur/Suryansh Shedge

M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru Pitch Report and Weather

The last game on this ground was a relatively low-scoring affair compared to Chinnaswamy standards. RCB managed 163/7 batting first, before DC chased down the target with 13 balls to spare thanks to KL Rahul’s sparkling finish.

In the last ten IPL games on this ground, pacers have taken 87 wickets compared to just 35 for spinners. Also, chasing teams have won six of these games.

Expect a good batting surface here and the captain who wins the toss to opt to chase. Conditions are forecast to be mostly clear with no chance of rain according to AccuWeather.

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

Top wicket-keeper picks:

• Phil Salt has been outstanding in IPL 2025. His 208 runs have come at a strike rate of 185.71. He was looking in superb touch for his 17-ball 37 on his last match at the Chinnaswamy before he was run out.
• Prabhsimran Singh can get PBKS off to a rapid start on a fast-scoring ground. How he deals with Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar could make for fascinating viewing.

Top batter picks:

• Virat Kohli has struck 1,030 runs against PBKS at an average of 35.52 and strike rate of 133.77. Kohli has strong head-to-head numbers against Arshdeep Singh: 41 balls, 79 runs, one wicket.
• Shreyas Iyer has made scores of 97*, 53* and 82 outside of Mullanpur this season. He has struck three fifties in eight matches at the Chinnaswamy. How he fares against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will be key (see below).
• Since the start of 2024, Rajat Patidar has smashed 285 runs against spin in the IPL at an average of 95.0 and strike rate of 186.3. Patidar has scored 32 runs against Chahal at a strike rate of 188.2 (no dismissals).

Top all-rounder picks:

• Krunal Pandya is a solid all-rounder pick in this game as PBKS have many right-handers. He has dismissed Glenn Maxwell three times in 35 balls in the IPL (42 runs).

Key bowler picks:

• Josh Hazlewood has dominated Shreyas Iyer in the IPL: 12 balls, three runs, two wickets. The seamer is RCB’s top wicket-taker this season with nine.
• Arshdeep Singh has taken just five wickets in seven matches vs RCB at an economy of 10.07. But, he still offers fantasy value as he bowls in the crunch overs.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Teams

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls in the crunch overs and he has an excellent record against Shreyas Iyer in T20s: 49 balls, 44 runs, three wickets.
• Yuzvendra Chahal came back into form in the last game. He also knows this ground very well, with 58 wickets at an economy of 7.82 and strike rate of 15.95.
• Glenn Maxwell is struggling for form in this IPL. Also, RCB have mostly right-handers so his bowling may be limited. But, Maxwell can be a good differential pick with his T20 experience on this ground: 20 inns, 493 runs, avg. 27.39, SR 177.98.
• Marco Jansen can contribute with the bat, especially if PBKS bats first. He has dismissed Virat Kohli twice in 25 balls in T20s (42 runs).
• Priyansh Arya against Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood is a big challenge for the youngster, but he has the game to handle their experience. Arya has scored 47, 103, 36 and 22 when batting first compared to 8 and 0 batting second in IPL 2025.

Other Stats and Important Matchups

• Head-to-head: 33 matches, RCB 16, PBKS 17.
• RCB have won their past three matches against PBKS.
• Marco Jansen vs Phil Salt: 28 balls, 60 runs, one wicket.
• Arshdeep Singh vs Devdutt Padikkal: 33 balls, 50 runs, three wickets.

IPL 2025 34th Match: RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article, as well as your own instincts, to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

IPL 2025 34th Match: RCB vs PBKS Match Prediction – Who will win?

A game that can go either way. RCB have not had it easy at home this season, but I’ll back them to get the win here with the extra time they have had to prepare for this match.