With IPL 2025 restarting from Saturday, 17th May, after a week-long break due to the geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, seven teams are still in the race for the playoff positions. This unprecedented stoppage and now the resumption have led the BCCI to release a revised schedule for the remaining matches. The 17 games left have been shifted to just six venues, making it a squeezed calendar for the teams, eliminating the last given benefits of a home or away setting in the current season, and also raising uncertainties about foreign players' availability for this extended duration. 

Punjab Kings (PBKS) were the team in play when the IPL was halted, midway through the match, amid a larger issue of National Interest. During the season, they have performed exceedingly well and are in third position in the points table. They are yet to win an IPL title and have been competing since its inception in 2008. The current season holds great promise for them as their players have been in a purple patch, and they would now aim for a great run until the end of the season, under the coaching eyes of an Aussie great in Ricky Ponting. Can this finally be their glorious title-winning campaign, spearheaded by the skipper Shreyas Iyer? 

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Punjab Kings Qualification Scenario for IPL 2025.

Matches Played: 11, Points: 15, NRR: 0.376

Upcoming Matches: Away – RR (18^th May); Jaipur – DC (24^th May), MI (26^th May)

Best Possible Finish: 21 points

PBKS need two wins to be certain of qualification, as just one won't assure that. Five teams can get to 17 points or more. For instance, if they beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) but lose to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI), and if DC beat Gujarat Titans (GT) but lose to MI, then Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), GT, MI, DC, and PBKS can all finish on 17 or more points. PBKS will be playing all their remaining matches in Jaipur, and this might be an advantage as there will be minimal travel, plus having better knowledge of the playing conditions than their opponents. 

However, PBKS can qualify with 17 points if they beat DC and lose their other two matches, as in that case, only one of MI or DC can finish on 17 or more points, since they play each other. PBKS can sneak through even if they lose all three matches and stay on 15, but for that to happen, DC will have to lose their two other matches, so that they stay on 15, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will have to win no more than two of their three games. It'll then come down to run rates between PBKS and DC (and Kolkata Knight Riders - KKR, if they win both matches) for one spot.