IPL 2025: Punjab Kings Must Break Eight-year Playoffs Jinx in Order to Win First Indian Premier League Title

If you are aiming to make it to the Indian Premier League playoffs, a top 2 finish is of paramount importance due to the fact that even the team that loses Qualifier 1 still has a chance of making it to the final. It's why Punjab Kings are going to play Qualifier 2, despite their heavy eight-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday (May 29) - their table-topping IPL 2025 finish gives them another bite at the cherry. [PBKS v RCB HIGHLIGHTS]

It is also why PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer boldly proclaimed “we lost the battle, not the war” after his team were so comprehensively outperformed by RCB. 

However, the weight of a peculiar IPL statistic is working against PBKS - and it is one that they might find very difficult to overcome. 

Can PBKS End Huge Playoff Jinx? 

Since 2011, when the playoffs format used now has been introduced, the team that wins Qualifier 1 more often than not goes on to clinch the IPL title. 

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In fact, there have only been 3 occasions when the team that has won Qualifier 2 has lifted the trophy - Mumbai Indians in 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and Mumbai again in 2017. 

MI were the first side to defy this trend in 2013 - although it can be argued that it wasn't much of a trend at that point. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1, beat Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and then beat CSK in the final. 

In 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad took it one step further - they beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator, then beat Gujarat Lions in Qualifier 2 before beating RCB in the final. It was a feat no one had matched before - or since. 

In 2017, MI again took the long route as they lost to Rising Pune Supergiant in Qualifier 1, beat KKR in Qualifier 2 and then beat RPSG in the final by a thrilling margin of 1 run. 

But since that time, the team to win Qualifier 1 has always gone on to lift the title. 

Extra Game a Disadvantage? 

There is a belief that playing the extra game can aid match sharpness, but it can also elongate the schedule and lead to more travel. 

Normally, Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator are played in the same city and Qualifier 2 and the final are played in a different city. 

This means the teams who play Qualifier 2 usually have to travel more, whereas the winner of Qualifier 1 gets an extra rest day too. 

Whether PBKS can overcome this historic disadvantage and make it to their first final since 2014 is the real challenge.