Before their IPL 2025 match on Sunday at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, players from Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings stood together for the Indian national anthem to honor the Indian armed forces. This match was the first proper game after the IPL 2025 resumed on Saturday, following a one-week break due to tensions with Pakistan. The Saturday match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders was canceled because of rain, which dampened the excitement of the IPL restart.
Honoring the Indian Armed Forces Before the IPL 2025 Match
To honor the Indian armed forces for their bravery in protecting the country, the players sang the national anthem together before the match. “Thank you armed forces” was displayed on the stadium screens as the anthem played.
Watch the viral video:
Grateful to the Armed Forces.
Jai Hind 🇮🇳#TATAIPL | #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/OOid23RDuZ
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 18, 2025
During the toss, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer expressed gratitude to the Indian armed forces for protecting the country’s borders amid tensions with Pakistan.
“Kudos to the Army forces who have worked for the country and made sure that we’re in a comfortable position,” he said after choosing to bat first.
Mitchell Owen, Marco Jansen, and Azmatullah Omarzai are the three overseas players in the PBKS lineup.
For Rajasthan Royals, a fully fit Sanju Samson returned to captain the team, replacing Nitish Rana in the playing XI. Kwena Maphaka replaced Jofra Archer.
Playing XIs & Impact Substitutes: Who’s In and Who’s Out for RR and PBKS?
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kwena Maphaka, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Impact Substitutes: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Singh Rathore, Yudhvir Singh Charak.
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Substitutes: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan.
Punjab Kings are currently in third place with 15 points from 11 games and have a chance to finish in the top two if they win their remaining three matches, including this one against the already eliminated Rajasthan Royals.
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