IPL 2025: Who will play RCB in final if PBKS vs MI Qualifier 2 is washed out?

Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first against Mumbai Indians in the do-or-die Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday, June 1. However, rain hit the Motera turf just as both sides readied themselves to take the field. The start of the match, which was delayed due to a drizzle, later turned into a thunderstorm, which severely did not allow for the action to get underway.

Now, two questions naturally arise - whether there will be a Reserve Day? And if not, who will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Finals on Tuesday if the match is washed out. To answer the first question, there is unfortunately no Reserve Day for the Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians. Hence, in case the match is completely washed out and no result is derived, Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS will move to the grand finale.

But why PBKS? The answer to this question is also very simple. The Punjab-based franchise finished at a higher position on the Points Table, as they ended their league stage with the first position, whereas, Mumbai Indians could accumulate only 16 points to become the fourth team to qualify. So, as a direct advantage of their league stage position, PBKS will be seeing themselves cross swords against Rajat Patidar’s RCB, who advanced to the summit clash courtesy of their stellar victory after beating the same opposition in the Qualifier 1 in New Chandigarh.

PBKS use toss to their advantage

Iyer, the Punjab skipper, was completely aware of a possible rain interruption for the game, and as a result, he strategically chose to field first against a star-studded Mumbai Indians line-up. At the toss, he had revealed that they will have the services of star leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed out the last game due to an injury.

“It's slightly overcast, wicket was also covered yesterday. That's why we'll bowl. It's a fresh day, we've recovered well, rejuvenated. Boys are in high spirits, it's important to be assertive when you step onto the field. Dressing-room environment has been top-notch. Yuzi comes in,” said Iyer at the toss.

PBKS Playing XI: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

MI skipper Hardik Pandya, on the other hand, told that they too would have opted to bowl first if the coin flip had gone in their favour. The five-time champions too made a change, as English pacer Reece Topley replaced his countryman Richard Gleeson, who injured himself in the last over of the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans a couple of days back.

"We'd have fielded. Looks a decent track, just need to bat well and assess conditions early. Pitch has gotten much flatter, ball does less now. But still a good wicket for overall cricket. A lot of areas we could've gotten better in the last game that we identified. One-day break is both tough but also keeps us in rhythm. We came early morning after the last game. Most boys focused on recovery, intensity will be important. Reece comes in for Gleeson, who has a niggle," Pandya said.

MI Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Raj Angad Bawa, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Reece Topley,