Punjab Kings Backed To "Steal" IPL 2025 Title From RCB: "Feel For Virat Kohli"
RCB have played three IPL finals before but are yet to win the title even once.
Australian women's cricket team captain Alyssa Healy has backed Punjab Kings (PBKS) to "steal" the Indian Premier League (IPL) title from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). PBKS take on RCB in the IPL 2025 final, and the clash will be a repeat of Qualifier 1 when the latter beat the former by eight wickets last week. Healy feels that since both PBKS and RCB have never won the IPL title before, some nerves might creep in the all-important clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Healy suggested that the pressure will be on RCB as they've played three finals before but are yet to win the title even once. PBKS will be playing just their second final after 2014, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
"Neither team has obviously never won before. There's going to be a little bit of panic at some point out there. RCB would really want to win, having come so close in the past. I feel like all the pressure is on RCB to win this title. Especially with the way they have shaped up all the year. But Punjab are just going to come along and steal it from them," Healy said on LiSTNR Sport podcast.
Healy sympathised with RCB icon Virat Kohli, who has been with the franchise since the inaugural season, but yet to taste success in the IPL. She added that all the pressure will be on Kohli, like always.
"I feel sorry for him. Every time they haven't won, it's like his fault. It's not per se. But he is the face of the organisation, and it's like 'Oh, Virat has lost it again'. It's not so much for RCB, but 'Virat still hasn't won the IPL trophy'. So the pressure is all on him. And that side is going to rely a lot on Virat Kohli to get RCB to that trophy," she added.
The Kohli factor has certainly weighed heavily on RCB drawing strong crowd support even while playing away from home.
The 36-year-old has been RCB's go-to man with the bat this season (IPL 2025), having accumulated 614 runs at an average of 55.82 and a strike rate of 146.53 this season.
He has so far featured in three IPL finals: 2009 (7 against now-defunct Deccan Chargers), 2011 (35 against Chennai Super Kings), and 2016 (54 against Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Kohli has also played some T20I finals as well for India, where he has managed 77 (against Sri Lanka in the T20 WC 2014), 41* (against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2016), and 76 (T20 WC 2024).
(With ANI Inputs)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Punjab Kings
Virat Kohli