News Description: In a nail-biting finish to the IPL group stage, Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secured their spot in the playoffs by defeating Lucknow Super Giants by 6 wickets. This crucial victory has also finalized the complete schedule for the IPL 2025 playoffs. RCB has climbed to the second position in the points table, with Punjab Kings maintaining their top spot. Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians occupy the third and fourth positions respectively. RCB’s win grants them a ‘double chance’ to reach the final, a significant advantage for the top two teams. This format ensures that even if a team loses in Qualifier 1, the top two teams get another opportunity to play in the second Qualifier, keeping their final aspirations alive.

The first match of the playoffs, Qualifier One, is set to take place on May 29th in New Chandigarh. In this encounter, Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bangalore. The winner of this match will directly qualify for the final. A day later, on May 30th, the Eliminator match will be held at the same venue in New Chandigarh, where Gujarat Titans will go head-to-head with Mumbai Indians. The losing team of this match will see their tournament end there, with their hopes of reaching the final dashed. The winner of the Eliminator will play in the second Qualifier, against the team that loses Qualifier One. This pivotal match will be held on June 1st in Ahmedabad. Finally, putting an end to all the anticipation, the grand finale will be played on June 3rd at the same venue in Ahmedabad, where the champions of this IPL season will be crowned.