He has not been playing the last few games for the Kings, who are looking to seal their spot in the final.
Yuzvendra Chahal is again absent from Punjab Kings’ playing XI for a crucial fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1. He has not been playing the last few games for the Kings, who are looking to seal their spot in the final.
Chahal sustained a wrist injury, forcing him to sit out of the previous two matches against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Apparently, he hasn’t fully recovered yet from the same injury, which might be the reason he is not playing this clash.
Chahal’s absence leaves a huge void in PBKS’ spin attack since he was their premium spinner, bought at a massive sum with high hopes. While the Punjab-based franchise has Harpreet Brar, they lack a genuine wrist-spinner, even though Praveen Dubey can be an impact substitute.
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In the previous game, PBKS didn’t use him and went with Vijaykumar Vyshak as the fifth bowler in Chahal’s absence. However, Dubey might come later in the second innings if the deck has something for spinners, else Vijaykumar will continue for PBKS.
After a poor start to IPL 2025, Yuzvendra Chahal regained his form in the second half of the season and took crucial wickets for Punjab Kings. He only took two wickets at an abysmal 83.50 runs apiece in the first five matches this season.
However, he redeemed himself after initial hiccups and bowled exceptionally well as the tournament progressed. In the next six matches, Chahal snared 12 wickets at 15.58 runs apiece, including two four-wicket hauls.
So, he would have been vital for the Punjab Kings because he is skilled enough to pick wickets on any surface. PBKS will still play at least one more game in IPL 2025 and would want to have Chahal back.
For now, PBKS would want to maximise the available resources and keep winning games to make life easier. They wouldn’t want to lose against RCB in Qualifier 1 and take the longer route by playing Qualifier 2, for that will put ample pressure on them.
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson
Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlet.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.
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