da winzada777： What will the PBKS and RCB line-ups look like, and where will the IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 be won and lost?
da marjack bet： ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-20252:31
An 18-year wait to end this season?
Are the top-two teams the right top-two teams?Moody: Probably the two best teams consistently over this year’s IPL find themselves in the right positions of one and two, even though every team sort of had their struggles to attempt to get into those preferred slots of one and two. Both [are] in form. We’re in for an absolute cracking match.Abhinav: Punjab Kings are sort of rejuvenated under this new duo of Shreyas [Iyer] and [Ricky] Ponting. Ponting’s a serial winner while he played and took MI to the title [in IPL 2015] and DC to the playoffs – didn’t have a last couple of good years with Delhi. But Shreyas Iyer’s been exceptional as captain, and he deserves all the praise for taking Punjab to No. 1.RCB, again, I think their biggest conversation would have been: ‘okay, we have qualified, we need to qualify top two’. I think GT’s loss is RCB’s gain. Because if GT had won both, RCB would not have qualified [in the top two]. But I think RCB have done very, very well to get there, and both are very deserving.What will the playing XIs/XIIs look like?Moody: I don’t see that [Jamieson playing] changing, particularly given that [Ponting] has made that comment [about Jamieson being in PBKS’ plans]. And it makes perfect sense to give him a decent run before the all-important final. I was surprised, I must admit, that Jamieson got in ahead of Bartlett, given that Bartlett’s been part of the whole team set-up throughout the whole campaign and already played a few games, but Ricky Ponting and the gang there know exactly what’s happening within that squad better than what we do.Related
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Abhinav: I think so [Chahal will play]. I think they will play both the spinners [Harpreet Brar the other], because last year, that was one venue which surprised us all in terms of the degree of turn. New Chandigarh had a lot of assistance for spinners, and even Punjab Kings vs KKR, that was the game where Chahal did his magic and they ended up defending that low score. So he [Chahal] will be huge, especially in the context [of the game], and there’s also this little element of him having played for RCB.Moody: Thushara was brilliant in that last game, and… obviously we know what Hazlewood’s done and what his record stands for. So, you can guarantee he is coming into the side. Whether they opt for both those overseas players and look at either Romario Shepherd sitting out and playing another Indian batter, or Suyash [Sharma] might be one that steps aside.Abhinav: It’s a tough one. You’ve got to understand who gives you that extra option. So, in case of [Liam] Livingstone, what happens is if you’re playing both Thushara and Hazlewood, then maybe Livingstone is your spin option, and you can toy with the idea of having that impact sub. Then Romario Shepherd sits out, unfortunately. Have you got enough trust or faith in your players for another Indian batter to come in as a pure batter at No. 5 or 6? That’s the question. It’s a tough call.Moody: That [David’s absence] will be very much in the front of their mind. It’s very hard to judge Livingstone on one ball – we all know what he is capable of doing – and he hasn’t quite caught fire this season, but he’s played a lot of international cricket, played a lot of big games, so there’s no reason why he wouldn’t step up in the final.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
What should we expect from the New Chandigarh venue?Abhinav: New Chandigarh is basically a venue where you don’t know what sort of pitches to expect. You’ve got a 111 and you’ve got a 219 at the same venue. So that is a very big difference between the kind of scores you see in New Chandigarh. I really hope it is a surface that is true and plays good cricket.Picks for match-defining head-to-head contests?Moody: I am quite looking forward to the Arshdeep Singh match-up against Phil Salt. I think that’s going to be intriguing because, to this point, Arshdeep’s got his measure, well and truly. He’s got him out four times for just 25 runs. So that is quite a significant difference.Abhinav: I’m going the other way. I’m going Josh Hazlewood – if he plays, and I think he will – up against Shreyas Iyer. Five innings, three outs, nine runs. Think he got him out in the World Cup game as well, at Chepauk.Who goes through to the final from Qualifier 1?Moody: I’ve got RCB’s nose just in front.Abhinav: And I’m going with Punjab.
