The defending champions won the PBKS vs RCB clash by 23 runs.
The reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have become the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs after defeating the Punjab Kings in the PBKS vs RCB match. On the other hand, after a dominating start to the season with six successive wins, PBKS have now lost as many on the trot.
From being the closest to securing a playoffs berth, their chances to advance to the knockouts now are hanging by a thread. Moreover, the Bengaluru outfit have now defeated PBKS in four out of their last five encounters since the IPL 2025. Let’s look at 3 takeaways from the PBKS vs RCB match.
Bengaluru’s new recruit, Venkatesh Iyer, put up his maiden half-century for the franchise during the PBKS vs RCB clash. He top-scored with a blazing 73 not out off 40 balls, laced with eight boundaries and four maximums. Previously, a 76-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal had set the stage for a fierce finish in Dharamshala, after losing Jacob Bethell early in the game.
While Padikkal went back after a brisk 45, Kohli continued his purple patch to follow up his ninth IPL hundred with yet another fifty-plus score (58). Eventually, Venkatesh and Tim David’s late surge propelled RCB to post a huge total of 222/4 on the board.
The 30-year-old has spent most of the IPL 2026 in the PBKS dugout, awaiting his chance. However, while playing in only his second game of the season, the spinner has put up a noteworthy show. Harpreet Brar became the most economical bowler of the hosts, conceding only 35 runs in his four-over quota. He also bagged the most wickets for the side in the PBKS vs RCB match, snaring the key scalps of Bethell and Padikkal.
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PBKS’ swashbuckling openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, once again failed to provide a good start while chasing the massive target of 223. Captain Shreyas Iyer also went back for just one run in the must-win clash. Though Cooper Connoly (37) and Suryansh Shedge (35) looked to be in pristine touch, they could not prolong their stay in the middle.
However, coming in at no.7, Shashank Singh shifted the momentum towards the hosts with a few quick big hits. He stitched two much-needed partnerships with Marcus Stoinis (37) and Azmatullah Omarzai (14) to keep PBKS alive in the game. Shashank notched up a blazing 56 off only 27 deliveries, striking at a fierce rate of 207.40. The 34-year-old’s whirlwind knock included four boundaries and as many sixes, but his heroics were not enough to snap the team’s losing streak.
With this defeat, Punjab continues to stay in the fourth place with 13 points. Now, they must win their last league-stage fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and hope for a few other results to go their way as well to make it to the IPL 2026 playoffs.
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