Battle of nerve: In form PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer to face RCB's ace pacer Josh Hazlewood in IPL 2025 final

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 3 (ANI): The highly anticipated IPL 2025 final between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is set to witness a thrilling showdown between PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer and RCB's ace pacer Josh Hazlewood.

Iyer, known for his big-match temperament, has been in sublime form, while Hazlewood's precision and ability to strike early could pose a significant challenge to the PBKS captain.

PBKS skipper is coming into this final in sublime form, having struck three unbeaten half-centuries in his last three outings at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

While Iyer's form and his record in tournament finals suggest another potential match-winning effort, standing in his way will be a familiar foe, Josh Hazlewood. The Australian pacer, known for his precision and ability to strike early, has had a clear upper hand over Iyer in past encounters.

The statistics favour Hazlewood, who has had a clear upper hand over Iyer in past encounters. In six T20 innings, Iyer has managed just 11 runs off 22 deliveries, with Hazlewood dismissing him four times. Hazlewood's disciplined line and length, coupled with subtle movement off the pitch, have made it difficult for Iyer to get going.

Another defining chapter to his growing list of big-match performances. With his recent form and record in tournament finals, Iyer is well-equipped to handle the pressure. However, Hazlewood's success against him in the past could prove to be a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the match.

RCB have qualified for the Indian Premier League final thrice in the past, losing all three times in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

PBKS, on the other hand, qualified for the final once in 2014 when they were known as Kings XI Punjab, losing the match to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru were the first team to qualify for the final. They finished the league stage in second spot with 19 points from 14 games before beating Punjab Kings by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 to book their berth in the final.

Punjab Kings, meanwhile, topped the league stage with 19 points from 14 games and a better net run rate than RCB.

However, PBKS lost their Qualifier 1 game against RCB, leading to them facing Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 clash, which they won by five wickets to secure their spot in the summit match. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)