Dharamshala: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) emerged as the first team to officially secure a place in the IPL 2026 playoffs with a commanding 23-run victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS), pushing PBKS into a difficult situation in the playoff race following their sixth consecutive defeat. In the high-scoring 61st match of the season at Dharamsala on Sunday, 17 May.
Jitesh Sharma led RCB in the absence of the injured Rajat Patidar . The match began with PBKS winning the toss and electing to bowl first. RCB faced an early setback as Harpreet Brar struck with his second ball when Bethell got an inside edge onto his stumps. However, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal changed the momentum quickly and set the tone for the innings. Virat Kohli played a composed and elegant knock, scoring 58 off 37 balls. With this innings, Kohli registered his ninth season with 500 or more runs in the IPL, the most by any batter in the tournament’s history. Kohli now has 542 runs to his name in IPL 2026 so far. He also broke his own record for scoring the most runs against a single opponent in IPL history. Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal played a fluent knock of 45 off 25 balls before being dismissed by Harpreet Brar, with RCB at 97/2 in 9.1 overs. But the electrifying unbeaten innings of 73 off just 40 balls by Venkatesh Iyer, who was promoted to the fourth position in the absence of captain Rajat Patidar, took the innings to another level and became one of the major reasons behind RCB posting a massive score on the board. His brilliant and impactful innings deservedly earned him the Player of the Match award. PBKS finally got a breakthrough with the wicket of Virat Kohli, dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal, but RCB continued accelerating their innings. Tim David provided a strong finishing touch, scoring 28 off just 12 balls before being dismissed on the final ball of the innings. The PBKS bowlers proved expensive throughout the innings, while Harpreet Brar delivered an impressive performance with figures of 2 wickets for 35 runs, maintaining a far better economy rate than the other bowlers. RCB posted a massive total of 222/4 at the end of their 20 overs.
PBKS needed a strong start while chasing 223, but the momentum continued with RCB as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Dar came in with the ball and dismantled the top order of PBKS. Priyansh Arya was dismissed for a duck, and Prabhsimran Singh managed only 2 before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With the wicket of Prabhsimran, Bhuvneshwar took his tally to 36 wickets against Punjab Kings in the IPL. He is now the joint-highest wicket-taker against PBKS in IPL history alongside Sunil Narine, who has also picked up 36 wickets against the Punjab-based side. This milestone also helped Bhuvneshwar move to the top of the list of bowlers with the most wickets against one team in IPL history. With skipper Shreyas Iyer edging behind off Rasikh Dar for just 1, PBKS were reduced to 19/3 inside four overs, leaving them in deep trouble. To revive the innings, Cooper Connolly scored a vital 36 off 20 balls and built a partnership with Suryansh Shedge, who scored 35 off 22 balls. The pair looked set, but the wicket of Cooper Connolly broke PBKS’s hopes. Soon after, Suryansh Shedge was also dismissed by Suyash Sharma. Marcus Stoinis came in as the impact player and scored a valuable 37 off 25 balls before being dismissed. Shashank Singh shifted the momentum in favour of PBKS with a brilliant counterattacking innings, completing his half-century in just 22 balls with great composure and grace, and eventually scoring a superb 56 off 27 balls. But by the time PBKS started accelerating, the required run rate had already climbed steeply, with 40 runs needed in the final two overs. Rasikh Dar delivered an excellent final over, taking the crucial wickets of Shashank Singh and Omarzai, and with that, RCB sealed the victory comfortably by 23 runs. RCB’s bowlers did a clinical job overall, but the standout performance came from Rasikh Dar, who finished with impressive figures of 3/36 in his four overs.
With this victory, RCB secured their place in the playoffs, while PBKS now face a crucial challenge after their sixth consecutive defeat. With this loss, PBKS have now conceded 200-plus totals 46 times in men’s T20 cricket, the most by any team in the format’s history. RCB are second on the list with 40 such instances, while Delhi Capitals follow with 35.
