The IPL 2025 final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take place on Tuesday, June 3, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. both teams are competing for the first time for the IPL title, making this a historic match. RCB, led by the promising Rajat Patidar, will need to execute their plans with precision and composure. Here are three critical strategies RCB must employ to secure victory:

1. Kohli and Salt’s Powerplay Dominance

Phil Salt and Virat Kohli should take full advantage of Ahmedabad’s smooth batting pitch and aim for over 70 runs in the powerplay against PBKS’s Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson. With Kohli’s consistency and Salt’s explosive batting, PBKS can be rattled early, which will set the base for a total of over 200 or an easy chase.

2. Hazlewood and Bhuvi Target PBKS’s Top Order

Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar must take early wickets of PBKS’s Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, and Josh Inglis with Ahmedabad’s early bounce and swing, while Suyash Sharma can target them after the powerplay overs. Hazlewood can use his height and pace to exploit Iyer's weakness against the bounce, while Kumar can challenge Arya's aggression with his swing. Sharma, who bowls off-spin, can make it difficult for them to score after Hazlewood and Kumar make them uncomfortable. Taking early wickets will limit PBKS’s scoring and give RCB control of the match with lots of runs, but a ground where run-scoring will be seen as easy.

Also Read: 3 things PBKS need to do right to beat RCB in IPL 2025 final ft. Shreyas Iyer

3. Patidar’s Aggression Against PBKS’s Spinners

To keep RCB's required run rate to achieve an optimum score on Ahmedabad’s large ground, Rajat Patidar needs to go after PBKS’s spinners, such as Yuzi Chahal, during the middle overs. His fierce striking can get the best out of Chahal’s changing deliveries, ensuring RCB gets a big target or an easy chase for finishers like Romario Shepherd and Tim David.