For the second time in three days, Punjab Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru with the hope of completing a double over their opponents. The match in Bengaluru, a rain-marred fixture, was won by the Kings who took advantage of a sticky surface to prevail in a 14-over clash. Given the conditions in New Chandigarh, this could be another surface where the batters may have to use their smarts rather than the long handle. Punjab Kings have ticked most boxes this season, and with five wins in seven games, they seem well on track to get into the playoffs at this point. What works in their favour is their high-flying intent at the start along with immense batting depth, coupled with an efficient bowling unit which makes them a side with most bases covered. In the initial games, their premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a quiet time but the seasoned leggie has roared back in style over the last two games, including the historic defence of 111 here in New Chandigarh against KKR. As head coach Ricky Ponting mentioned after that win against the defending champions, PBKS are a side brimming with confidence. However, they are up against a RCB team that has never lost on the road this season. Although Rajat Patidar's team has lost all three of its home games in Bengaluru, they have managed to maintain a perfect record in away contests. This includes significant victories in Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Unlike previous years, this RCB outfit does have a better balance to it across all facets. For starters, Phil Salt has been a priceless addition to the squad and the Englishman's trademark blitz at the top has been instrumental to RCB's wins so far. Captain Patidar, senior man Virat Kohli and Tim David have all looked in good touch with the odd cameos from Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. That said, this is a batting unit which will need to be smarter on tricky surfaces, given that most of the batters are flamboyant strokemakers. The bowling also lacks a potent spinner, although Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma have punched above their weight. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the new ball are arguably the best opening duo with the ball this season. If they are to contain the extremely aggressive batting unit of PBKS, their accomplishments will be crucial once more. This battle may well be decided by which bowling unit steps up to the plate, as both teams have free-flowing batters in their ranks. Punjab Kings have a slight edge of form and momentum from the earlier fixture but Royal Challengers Bengaluru have shown already that they are a tough nut to crack away from home. When:Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Match 37, IPL 2025, 3:30 PM IST Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh What to expect: In the three games this season, teams batting first breached the 200-run mark two times. The last game, though, saw an IPL record for the lowest ever total successfully defended. even as the pitch didn't seem that difficult. This will be the first afternoon game at this venue and also PBKS' final home game here before they move to Dharamsala. Expect another decent batting strip with some help for the spinners and change of pace bowlers. Head to Head: Punjab Kings 18-16 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Team News: Punjab Kings Injury and Availability: Lockie Ferguson continues to be out with injury and is likely to be ruled out of the remainder of this season. Tactics and matchups: Harpreet Brar played his first game of the season in the previous fixture between the two sides. It was a strategic move, given the right-hand dominated batting line-up of RCB and Brar's impressive personal record against the franchise. The left-arm spinner returned two scalps and now has ten wickets in seven games against RCB at a frugal economy of 7.71. Yuzvendra Chahal also has favourable numbers against RHBs since the start of IPL 2024, conceding just 8.19 RPO with 18 wickets from 279 deliveries bowled and a dot ball percentage of 31. Probable XII:Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis(wk), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal. Kolkata Royal Challengers Injury and availability: No injuries or availability concerns have been reported. Tactics and matchups:Among the batters with best strike-rates against spin this season (minimum 50 balls faced), Shreyas Iyer is the only batter not to be dismissed even once. Additionally, his strike rate of 186.79 makes him a significant loss on a Mullanpur surface that may favor spin. Krunal Pandya, though, has a good history against the PBKS captain who only strikes at 89.13 against the left-arm spinner. Iyer has only fallen once in 46 balls, scoring 41 runs but has been strangled by Krunal. The contest's key matchup could be this one. Probable XII: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.