Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 18 of IPL 2025. The game will take place at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mohali on Saturday.

Rajasthan Royals enter this match after a thrilling six-run win against Chennai Super Kings. Nitish Rana played a key role, smashing 81 runs off 36 balls. As a result, he will be eager to deliver another strong knock to boost RR’s position in the standings.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings have had a dream start. They won both of their opening matches. First, they edged past Gujarat Titans by 11 runs. Then, they crushed Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets. Therefore, they will look to extend their unbeaten streak.

Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy Boosts PBKS

Shreyas Iyer has been in excellent form. He scored 149 runs in two games. Moreover, he hit back-to-back fifties. He has already matched his six-hitting count from IPL 2024.

In addition, Iyer has impressed with his captaincy. His field placements and bowling changes have been spot-on. As a result, PBKS look organized and confident.

Punjab Kings Have Grown Since Last Season

Last year, Punjab Kings faced several problems. For example, they struggled with team confusion and Shikhar Dhawan's poor form. They finished ninth with just five wins, missing playoffs for the 10th straight season.

However, this season looks brighter. Ricky Ponting has brought stability. Shreyas Iyer has brought runs and leadership. Because of this, PBKS began IPL 2025 with two away wins. Now, they want to fix their poor home record.

In IPL 2024, they won just one out of five matches at Mullanpur. The pitches were slow, and scoring was tough. Yet, this year’s squad has better depth and balance. The top order has done most of the scoring. Therefore, big names like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Marco Jansen haven’t been needed yet.

Royals Need Big Runs to Compete

Rajasthan Royals may struggle with the ball. Their attack includes Archer, Theekshana, Hasaranga, Sandeep, and Deshpande. Even so, it lacks bite against strong batting teams like PBKS.

Hence, RR will likely depend on their batting to win. But, their top order has not fired consistently. Yashasvi Jaiswal is still searching for form. To address this, the Royals have shuffled their batting order.

Their recent win over CSK—thanks to Rana—helped restore belief. Therefore, they will enter this match with better morale.

Pitch Might Favour Spinners Again

Last season, Punjab Kings struggled at their home ground. The Mullanpur pitch played slow. The bigger boundaries helped spinners control the game. Consequently, teams crossed 180 runs only twice in five first-innings attempts.

This time, PBKS will aim to use the conditions better. Their current batting form gives them an edge.

Squads

Punjab Kings (PBKS): Shreyas Iyer (captain), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.

Rajasthan Royals (RR): Sanju Samson (captain), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.