Josh Hazlewood (RCB):
Bhai, Hazlewood toh RCB ka bowling ka baap hai, IPL 2025 mein wickets ke pile pe pile laga raha tha, par last chaar match shoulder injury ki wajah se miss kiye. Ab khabar hai ki woh fit hai aur Qualifier 1 mein khelne ke liye taiyaar. Jitesh Sharma, jo RCB ka captain aur wicketkeeper hai, ne LSG ke against wale match ke baad hint diya ki Hazlewood knockouts mein wapas aa raha hai. Uska aana RCB ki bowling ko ekdum solid karega, jo LSG ke against 227 defend nahi kar paayi thi. Hazlewood ka powerplay aur death overs mein tight bowling ka jadoo PBKS ke aggressive top order ke liye danger hai. Lekin ek problem hai – agar Hazlewood aata hai, toh kisi overseas player ko drop karna padega, jaise Nuwan Thushara (jo LSG ke against 1-26 in 4 overs maara tha) ya Romario Shepherd. Hazlewood ka PBKS ke captain Shreyas Iyer ke against record mast hai – 19 balls mein 3 baar out kiya, sirf 9 runs diye. To bhai, Hazlewood ka wapas aana almost pakka hai.
Yuzvendra Chahal (PBKS):
Chahal bhai, IPL ka all-time top wicket-taker, last do match wrist injury ki wajah se miss kiya, par Qualifier 1 ke liye fit hone ka full chance hai. Uska wapas aana PBKS ke liye bada game-changer hai, kyunki Mullanpur ka pitch spinners ko thodi help karta hai. Chahal ka RCB ke against khelna ek emotional dhamaka bhi hai, aur uska middle overs mein wickets lene ka talent RCB ke right-hand heavy batting, jaise Virat Kohli aur Mayank Agarwal, ko pareshan kar sakta hai. Chahal ne Agarwal ko IPL mein 6 baar out kiya hai, 72 runs ke liye, strike rate 160.00. Sources bol rahe hain ki PBKS Chahal aur Harpreet Brar dono ko daal sakta hai, taaki Mullanpur ke pitch ka faida uthaye. Chahal ka wapas aana almost confirmed hai, jab tak koi last-minute lafda na ho.
Scene: Hazlewood aur Chahal dono Qualifier 1 ke liye wapas aa rahe hain, agar koi chhoti-moti injury nahi aayi toh. In dono ke aane se match ka scene ekdum alag level pe hoga.
PBKS aur RCB ke Probable Line-Ups
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Probable XI:
- Priyansh Arya
- Prabhsimran Singh
- Josh Inglis (wk)
- Shreyas Iyer (c)
- Nehal Wadhera
- Shashank Singh
- Marcus Stoinis
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Harpreet Brar
- Kyle Jamieson
- Arshdeep Singh
Impact Sub: Yuzvendra Chahal
Scene:
PBKS ka batting uncapped Indian players pe bhaari chalta hai – Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, aur Nehal Wadhera ne season ke 60% runs banaye. Shreyas Iyer middle mein solid anchor hai, aur Josh Inglis wicketkeeper-batter ke roop mein dhamaka karta hai. Marco Jansen ka World Test Championship final ke liye South Africa wapas jana ek jhatka hai, par Omarzai aur Jamieson all-round depth dete hain. Bowling mein Arshdeep Singh ka jadoo hai, jiske paas RCB ke Phil Salt ka number hai – 32 balls mein 4 baar out, sirf 25 runs. Chahal ka impact sub ya starter ke roop mein aana spin attack ko mazboot karega, khaas kar Mullanpur ke spin-friendly pitch pe. PBKS ka plan hoga powerplay mein full attack aur middle overs mein spin se RCB ko rokna.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Probable XI:
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt
- Mayank Agarwal
- Rajat Patidar (c)
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Krunal Pandya
- Liam Livingstone
- Romario Shepherd
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Yash Dayal
- Josh Hazlewood
Impact Sub: Suyash Sharma
Scene:
RCB ka batting bhaari hai, with Virat Kohli (8 fifties in IPL 2025, sab jeet mein) aur Phil Salt opening mein dhamaka karte hain. Jitesh Sharma ne LSG ke against 85* off 33 balls se dikhaya ki woh finisher ka boss hai. Mayank Agarwal middle mein solid hai. Tim David ka hamstring injury ke wajah se na khelna chinta ki baat hai, toh Livingstone ya Shepherd ko middle order sambhalna hoga. Hazlewood ka wapas aana bowling ko mazboot karega, jisme Bhuvneshwar Kumar bhi hai, jiska Shreyas Iyer ke against record mast hai (3 wickets in 50 balls). Hazlewood ke liye kisi ko drop karna padega, shayad Thushara ya Shepherd. RCB ka strength hai top-order batting aur Hazlewood ka death-over ka control, par middle order without David thoda weak hai.
Match Kahan Jeeta ya Haara Jayega?
Ye match ka scene tight hai, aur iske results ka game in cheezon pe depend karega:
- Key Matchups:
- Hazlewood vs. Shreyas Iyer: Hazlewood ne Iyer ko T20s mein 19 balls mein 3 baar out kiya, sirf 9 runs ke liye. Agar Hazlewood powerplay mein Iyer ko uda deta hai, toh PBKS ka top order hil sakta hai. Iyer ko Hazlewood ke bounce aur movement se nipatna hoga.
- Arshdeep Singh vs. Phil Salt: Arshdeep ne Salt ko 4 baar out kiya, 32 balls mein 25 runs. Salt ka powerplay mein dhamaka (LSG ke against 61 runs) ko rokna PBKS ke liye bada moment hoga.
- Chahal vs. Mayank Agarwal: Chahal ne Agarwal ko 6 baar out kiya IPL mein, 45 balls mein 72 runs, with 5 sixes. Ye ekdum high-voltage battle hai – agar Chahal jeeta, toh middle overs mein PBKS control kar sakta hai.
- Kohli vs. PBKS ke Spinners: Kohli ke 8 fifties ne RCB ko 8 jeet dilayi. Par Mullanpur ke spin-friendly pitch pe Chahal aur Brar usko rok sakte hain. Kohli ka anchor aur accelerate karna game changer hoga.
- Venue ka Scene (Mullanpur):
Mullanpur ka pitch thoda alag-alag behave karta hai – scores 111 se 219 tak gaye hain. Night games mein batting first wali team ko faida hua hai, teeno matches jeet gaye. RCB ne LSG ke against 228 ka chase 18.4 overs mein kiya, toh woh venue ke trend ko tod sakte hain. Pitch spinners ko help karta hai, jaise Chahal ka KKR ke against wala spell. Hazlewood aur Arshdeep ko early movement milega, par middle overs mein spin aur variable bounce ka khel hoga. Toss bada factor hoga, kyunki chasing tough hai yahan. - Toss aur Strategy:
Mullanpur mein batting first wali team ka record strong hai. PBKS, jo yahan apna home ground maanti hai, shayad target set karna pasand karegi, apne spinners ke saath defend karne ke liye. RCB ka chasing game mast hai, jaise LSG ke against dikhaya. Toss jeetne wali team soch mein pad jayegi – batting first ya bowling. RCB ko Hazlewood ko fit karne ke liye overseas balance thik karna hoga, aur PBKS ko Jansen ke bina Omarzai ya Jamieson se kaam chalana hoga. - Team Form aur Momentum:
- PBKS: League table top kiya 21 points ke saath, Shreyas Iyer aur coach Ricky Ponting ke under balanced team. Unke uncapped batters ne 60% runs banaye, aur Arshdeep-Chahal ka bowling bhaari hai. RCB ke against April 20 ko haar ka badla lene ka josh hoga.
- RCB: 21 points ke saath doosre number pe, LSG ke against bada chase kiya. Jitesh Sharma ka 85* aur Kohli ka 54 unka batting ka jadoo dikhaata hai. Hazlewood ka wapas aana bowling ko thik karega, par Tim David ka na hona middle order ko thoda kamzor karta hai. RCB ka away form (SRH ke alawa sab jeete) confidence deta hai.
- X-Factors:
- PBKS: Nehal Wadhera ka April 18 ko RCB ke against rain-curtailed chase mein composure ek bada plus hai. Middle order mein Jansen ke bina uska role bada hoga.
- RCB: Jitesh Sharma ka form (85* off 33 vs LSG) aur leadership ekdum game-changer hai. Agar woh upar bat kare, toh bada dhamaka kar sakta hai.
- Baarish ka Risk: Agar match washout hota hai, toh PBKS apne better net run rate ke wajah se final mein jayega. Dono teams result chahenge, par baarish strategy ko cautious kar sakti hai.
Prediction aur Jeet ka Mantra
Ye match ekdum neck-to-neck hai. PBKS ko thoda edge hai kyunki Chahal RCB ko jaanta hai aur Mullanpur ka pitch spin ke liye perfect hai. Par RCB ka batting aur Hazlewood ka jadoo unko dangerous banata hai. Match ka scene yahan decide hoga:
- Powerplay ka Khel: Agar Arshdeep Salt ko jaldi uda deta hai ya Hazlewood Iyer ko nikalta hai, toh momentum shift ho sakta hai.
- Middle Overs ka Control: Chahal aur Brar ka RCB ke middle order ko rokna vs RCB ke spinners (Krunal aur Suyash) ka PBKS ke uncapped batters pe attack.
- Finishing ka Swag: Jitesh Sharma (RCB) aur Stoinis/Omarzai (PBKS) ka end mein kaun dhamaka karta hai, wahi jeetega.
Edge: PBKS ko 51-49 ka thoda edge hai, kyunki spin aur home conditions unke favor mein hain. Par RCB ka chasing game aur Kohli ka form unko kisi bhi moment pe jeeta sakta hai. Toss aur early wickets game ka boss honge.
Final Scene
Hazlewood aur Chahal ka wapas aana Qualifier 1 ko ekdum blockbuster banayega. PBKS ka balanced attack aur home vibe unko thoda faida deta hai, par RCB ka batting firepower aur Hazlewood ka precision unko barabar ka contender banata hai. Key matchups, toss, aur Mullanpur ka tricky pitch game decide karega. Fans ko ek zabardast match ka maza milega, with IPL 2025 final ka ticket at stake.
