3 things RCB need to do right to beat PBKS in IPL 2025 clash in Mullanpur ft. Jacob Bethell 

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are back on the road, and while it may be a bane for the majority of the teams, it certainly is a bane for this outfit. Unbeaten away from home, and yet to win at the Chinnaswamy, the Rajat Patidar-led side are delicately placed in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign.

They have had their moments, especially at the start of the campaign, but few cracks have begun to surface with their recent defeats. Despite their imperfections, they have managed to avoid consecutive losses at all costs. A loss has always been followed by a win this season for RCB, and they are hoping for more of the same when they take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur on Sunday, April 20.

These two teams recently played against each other in the reverse fixture, a rain-curtailed encounter at the Chinnaswamy. PBKS won that clash by five wickets to get to 10 points and keep the pressure on the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the top.

On that note, let us take a look at three things RCB need to do right to beat PBKS in the IPL 2025 clash in Mullanpur.

#1 Bring in Jacob Bethell for Liam Livingstone

RCB have two major headaches to solve in their batting department, which has more or less fired so far. First is the over-dependency on Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, and Rajat Patidar to score an overwhelming load of the runs.

The second is to stack the deck against Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar. The two bowlers, capable of getting the ball away from the right-handed batter, dictate that the RCB middle-order be loaded with left-handed batters. As of now, RCB only have Devdutt Padikkal as an option in the middle order. Since Rajat Patidar is a stunning player against spin, match-ups usually do not apply to him. This paves the way for Bethell to make his IPL debut.

Bethell's inclusion is also warranted outside the match-up scheme of things. Liam Livingstone's dismal returns in the first half of the campaign may well leave RCB with no option but to make that much-needed change in the middle order. The England all-rounder has scored only 87 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 127.94, and his modes of dismissals have been questionable, to say the least.

Bethell offers a fresh breath of air to the RCB middle order that is in need of fine-tuning. He was in fine form before his injury, and has a brilliant strike rate of 142.50 against spin bowling.

RCB are anyway, not utilising Livingstone's ability with the ball, with only nine overs bowled in seven matches. His place in the them relies on his batting output, which is well below par at the moment.

#2 One of the top three has to bat deep

In an ideal world, RCB would persist with their all-out aggressive approach, with each batter taking over the baton from the dismissed batter. But, this approach has proved to be extremely counter-productive, especially at home. Lack of partnerships, presence of set batters in key moments, a middle-order which is not entirely in sync, looking good in only flashes.

RCB does not necessarily need to abandon this approach, but they do need to dial it down a touch for it to be productive consistently. In each of RCB's wins so far, at least one of Salt, Kohli, or Patidar has played over 30 deliveries, which seems to be the arbitrary cut-off of sorts. The trend was not on show in RCB's losses to the Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and the Delhi Capitals (DC).

There is a lot of merit in Kohli playing with a lot of intent from the word go, particularly when it works. However, the price is a steep one to pay when he is dismissed early. In a nutshell, it seems harsh to confine Kohli to a powerplay specialist just for a good start, because he offers so much more. Moreover, with RCB having intent-rich players at the other end, Kohli does have the luxury to ease up just a touch, and play the long game.

#3 Iyer must be exposed to as many deliveries as possible against pace

All five dismissals of Shreyas Iyer in IPL 2025 have come against pace, which is hardly surprising, given his formidable record against spinners. The right-handed batter also has a woeful record in Mullanpur, while RCB pacers are flying high so far. This is something that RCB can use to their advantage.

This is why the early breakthrough is so necessary for RCB. If Iyer comes in early, he can be exposed to the three-pronged seam attack naturally in the powerplay. However, if the openers spend some time at the crease, Iyer will either have the chance to take on the spinners in the middle overs, or RCB might be forced to deploy spin early on to save the pacers for Iyer. Potentially a loss-loss scenario.

In his 10-ball stay at the Chinnaswamy during the reverse fixture, Iyer faced all five RCB bowlers. But he was rattled the most by Josh Hazlewood, who eventually got his wicket too. The Australian pacer might not get steep bounce in Mullanpur like he did at the Chinnaswamy, but he has a dominant record against the PBKS skipper.

Hazlewood has dismissed Iyer thrice in four IPL outings, conceding only five runs off 16 deliveries. Similarly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has got the better of the right-handed batter in the IPL in three out of 11 outings. Iyer has scored only 45 runs off 50 balls at a strike rate of 90.