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IPL 2025 grand finale: Fans to get new champion in RCB or PBKS on June 3
Both teams, hungry for their maiden IPL title, have defied expectations and crafted memorable campaigns filled with grit, brilliance, and belief. The stage is set at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and anticipation couldn't be higher.
Punjab Kings, once known for their inconsistency, have found a new gear in 2025. Under the fearless leadership of Shreyas Iyer and the tactical sharpness of their backroom staff-led by Australian legend Ricky Ponting, PBKS have delivered clinical performances when it mattered most.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, speaking on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live, credited the fearless mindset shown by players like Josh Inglis, whose aggressive assault against Mumbai Indians' spearhead Jasprit Bumrah shifted the semifinal's momentum.
"Inglis didn't play the reputation — he played the ball. He broke the fear factor around Bumrah, which was a huge mental lift for the dugout,' Bangar noted.
Punjab's Qualifier 2 triumph saw the captain Iyer produce one of the standout knocks of the season — an innings hailed by the legendary AB de Villiers as a "masterclass under pressure."
AB de Villiers stands by Hardik Pandya amid MI exit
The fallout from Mumbai Indians' exit has seen captain Hardik Pandya under heavy scrutiny. But de Villiers was quick to shift focus back to the cricketing brilliance on display.
"They were outplayed by quality cricket, not poor execution. Shreyas and Inglis made the difference. You can't fault Hardik for being outclassed on the day — that's the beauty of the game," he emphasised. MI vs PBKS Qualifier 2 full scorecard
Sanjay Bangar echoed similar sentiments, highlighting how one moment — Trent Boult's dropped catch of Nehal Wadhera — shifted the semifinal's dynamics, underlining how high-pressure games often turn on fine margins. RCB and Virat Kohli eye maiden IPL title
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured their spot in the IPL 2025 final with a dominant performance in Qualifier 1, defeating table-toppers Punjab Kings by 8 wickets. This victory marks RCB's fourth appearance in an IPL final and their first in nine years. Coincidentally, the last time they made the final—and finished in the top two—was back in 2016.
Led by Rajat Patidar, RCB's road to the final has been defined by consistency and resilience. Reflecting on the team's journey, RCB's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, said: 'We're incredibly proud of how the team has approached the season — with courage, calmness, and a strong intent to dominate. These qualities highlight the character we've built as a unit. While we've hit a few key targets along the way, this final is the one that truly counts.'
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Time of India
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru planned victory parade 4 days before IPL final: Home minister
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The Hindu
4 hours ago
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Other State CMs too have felicitated IPL winners and held trophies, says Home Minister Parameshwara
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Time of India
4 hours ago
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Gaming bill set to hit advertising industry
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The immediate concern for the advertising market is the ban on advertisements and promotions of online money games. This category has been one of the most aggressive spenders on media over the past four years with a sharp focus on digital platforms and cricket sponsorships, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to PwC report 2024 the total size of the Indian online gaming market was INR 33,000 crore in 2023, estimated to reach INR 66,000 crore, growing at a CAGR of 14.5 percent between 2023–2028. Industry executives estimate the ban could wipe out INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore in annual ad spends. Of this, around INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore was on TV, mostly during the IPL, while digital could lose INR 3,000 to 3,500 crore. Ad spends at stake According to Vanita Keswani , CEO, Madison Media Sigma , a potential ban on real-money gaming platforms will create a short-term dent in ad revenues, as the category has been among the most aggressive spenders across TV and digital. However, the industry has historically rebalanced over time with new categories stepping in. She said, 'Digital will feel the sharper impact, given gaming's heavy reliance on app installs, influencer campaigns, and performance spends. Television too will lose out, especially during cricket properties where gaming brands had become near-dominant advertisers.' Sandeep Goyal , managing director of Rediffusion, said, 'If real-money gaming platforms are banned, it will directly affect advertising spends. The immediate impact will be on the IPL, where companies like Dream11 and My11Circle were among the main sponsors. Digital advertising will take the biggest hit, estimated at INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore, which is around 5 to 6 percent of the total ad market of INR 1 lakh crore. Television exposure was largely limited to the IPL at about INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore.' Revenue realities In FY23, Dream Sports, owner of Dream11, posted revenues of about INR 6,380 crore and allocated nearly INR 2,960 crore towards advertising and promotions, close to half of its topline. Games24x7, which operates My11Circle and RummyCircle, reported revenues of roughly INR 1,990 crore, of which INR 1,420 crore went into promotional spends, accounting for more than 70 percent of its revenue. Mobile Premier League (MPL) recorded INR 874 crore in revenue with around INR 118 crore spent on advertising, indicating a comparatively restrained approach but still reflecting the sector's heavy dependence on marketing to drive user acquisition. This shows that unlike traditional consumer sectors, real-money gaming companies consistently channel a disproportionately large share of their earnings into advertising, which explains the magnitude of disruption the proposed ban on promotional activity could cause across digital, television and sports sponsorships. A senior broadcaster, requesting anonymity, placed the overall impact closer to INR 5,000 crore and pointed out that outside sports, the spends from these companies were relatively limited, probably not exceeding INR 500 crore across any medium. He added that he does not expect other categories to step in to compensate for this shortfall, suggesting the industry will have to absorb a direct loss. Echoing the view, Keswani said that while fintech, e-commerce, OTT and D2C brands may partly fill the gap, it is unlikely to match gaming's scale immediately. Sponsorship fallout Dream11 was among the top five advertisers in India in 2024 with ad spends of INR 1,200 to 1,400 crore, according to the Madison Advertising Report 2025. It ranked fifth overall, ahead of several large FMCG and auto players. Games24x7 spent an estimated INR 350 to 500 crore on advertising in the same year. These companies were heavily backed by venture funding and invested significantly in television sponsorships, digital campaigns, influencer-led marketing, and offline activations such as metro branding. The IPL is expected to bear the brunt of the fallout. Dream11 has been an official sponsor of the league since 2019 and took the title sponsorship in 2020. It has remained one of the most visible advertisers across team jerseys, on-ground activations and television commercials. Not just IPL, it has also been an official partner of Women's Premier League (WPL) and Pro Kabaddi League ( PKL ). My11Circle entered the IPL ecosystem in 2023. In 2024, the company secured the fantasy gaming category sponsorship rights with a winning bid of INR 125 crore per year for five years, as reported in GroupM's Sporting Nation Report 2025. The deal, valued at INR 625 crore over the contract period, was one of the most significant category investments in the league's recent history. If the proposed Bill is cleared these contracts will face immediate disruption, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to seek new category sponsors. Industry trackers suggest the gap will be difficult to fill in the short term given the scale of investment by gaming platforms. Impact beyond adex Industry observers shared that beyond sponsorships, the ripple effects will be felt across advertising agencies, production houses, content creators and influencer networks. Dozens of agencies had dedicated teams servicing gaming clients, producing high-volume campaigns and executing performance-led media plans. The prohibition will bring these mandates to a halt. 'The impact is not limited to advertising. A wide ecosystem of agencies, production houses, content creators and influencers will be affected. These platforms also invested in offline branding such as OOH and activations. If there are 50 to 100 gaming players, that means dozens of agencies had teams working on them, films were being produced and media plans were being executed. With the ban, all of that comes to a halt,' said Goyal. Online platforms which hosted the bulk of these programmatic and performance-led campaigns, are also expected to see a decline in revenues from this category. Experts indicate that offline branding might also get impacted. The Bill does not restrict e-sports, which the government plans to recognise and promote under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. However, advertising in e-sports is negligible compared to real-money gaming platforms, meaning the proposed ban is set to leave a significant gap in the media and sports sponsorship ecosystem.
