Royal Challengers Bengaluru (222/4) defeated Punjab Kings (199/8) by 23 runs in the IPL 2026 match on Sunday. In the chase of 223, PBKS found some hope from Shashank Singh, who hit 56 off 27 balls. However, Rasikh Salam Dar took three wickets for RCB. With this win, RCB became the first team to qualify for the Playoffs of IPL 2026. 

OUT!!! Shashank Singh departs after scoring 56. He is picked by Rasikh Salam Dar. PBKS now need 29 off 4 balls to win. 

PBKS 194/7 (19.2 overs)

What a brilliant over from Josh Hazlewood as he concedes just seven runs. Punjab Kings now 33 runs off 6 balls to win. 

PBKS 190/6 (19 overs)

FIFTY!!! Shashank Singh hits a boundary on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's ball and brings up his half-century in style. He takes 22 deliveries to hit his half-century. 

PBKS 176/6 (17.4 overs)

OUT!!! A big wicket for RCB as Josh Hazlewood dismisses Marcus Stoinis for 37. A full-toss delivery, Stoinis fails to connect it as the ball hits his pads and the umpire signals LBW out. PBKS in big trouble now. Seeing the dismissal, Virat Kohli joyously celebrates the moment. 

PBKS 160/6 (16.1 overs)

Both Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis' partnership has truly changed the momentum of the game. In the previous over of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the duo scored 13 runs, which included a six from Shashank and a boundary from Stoinis. PBKS need 63 from 24 balls to win. 

PBKS 160/5 (16 overs)

Another big over for Punjab Kings and this time, Marcus Stoinis hits two boundaries on Rasikh Salam Dar. In total, the pacer concedes 12 runs. PBKS now need 77 off 30 balls to win this match. 

PBKS 146/5 (15 overs)

WOAH!!! A terrific over for Punjab Kings as Shashank Singh unleashes his fury on Suyash Sharma. In the previous over of the spinner, Shashank hits three massive sixes as Suyash leaks 20 runs. Will this be a game-changing moment? Only time will tell. 

PBKS 122/5 (12 overs)

OUT!!! Another wicket gone for Punjab Kings as Suryansh Shedge falls for 35 to Suyash Sharma. Wide off delivery, Suryansh hits it towards the long-off for a boundary but Virat Kohli takes a good catch. In the process, Kohli ends up hurting his finger and was taken off the field by the team physio. Fifth wicket gone for PBKS. 

PBKS 93/5 (10.5 overs)

SIX!!! Suryansh Shedge hits a brilliant maximum on Suyash Sharma's delivery. Shedge kneels down and places it towards the deep mid-wicket for a six. In total, Suyash leaks 12 runs in the over. 

PBKS 80/4 (9 overs)

OUT!!! A big disaster for Punjab Kings as Cooper Connolly gets dismissed by Romario Shepherd for 37. Going for a big hit, Connolly fails to time it properly as Jacob Bethell takes an excellent catch at the backward square leg. Fourth wicket gone for PBKS. 

PBKS 62/4 (7.3 overs)

Copper Connolly and Suryansh Shedge's partnership is turning the game a little bit for Punjab Kings. In the previous over of Suyash Sharma, the duo scored 11 runs. This included a maximum from Connolly. 

PBKS 60/3 (7 overs)

SIX!!! Cooper Connolly hits a massive six on Rasikh Salam Dar's delivery. Connolly was shaping in to pull, goes after it and the ball flew off the top-edge all the way over fine leg. The fiery shot had almost injured PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta in the stands but she saved herself perfectly and smiled to acknowledge Connolly's shot. 

PBKS 49/3 (6 overs)

A small ray of hope for Punjab Kings as Suryansh Shedge and Cooper Connolly scored 15 runs in the previous over of Josh Hazlewood. This included a maximum and a boundary from Shedge. PBKS need more of such overs to gain the momentum and bounce back in the chase. 

PBKS 38/3 (5 overs)

OUT!!! What's happening here? Punjab Kings lose another wicket and this time, skipper Shreyas Iyer becomes a prey of Rasikh Salam Dar and departs for 1. Iyer looks to go defensive but the ball touches the faint edge of the bat and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma takes a good catch behind the stumps. Third wicket gone. 

PBKS 19/3 (3.2 overs)

OUT!!! Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes again and this time, he removes Prabhsimran Singh for 2. Looking to slice it for a boundary, the ball hits the outside edge and Devdutt Padikkal takes a good catch at the first slip. Second wicket gone for PBKS. 

PBKS 18/2 (2.5 overs)

Cooper Connolly has provided some hope to Punjab Kings as he starts dealing in boundaries in the over of Josh Hazlewood. In the previous over of the pacer, Connolly hit a boundary and a brilliant maximum as Hazlewood leaked 11 runs. PBKS need more of such overs to bounce back into the game. 

PBKS 16/1 (2 overs)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave a big blow to Punjab Kings in the first over with the wicket of Priyansh Arya. However, Cooper Connolly entered the crease and hit a boundary. In the first, PBKS got five runs and lost one wicket.

PBKS 5/1 (1 over)

OUT!!! Bhuvneshwar Kumar lives up to his names and provides Royal Challengers Bengaluru with the wicket of Priyansh Arya in the first over. Trying to play a shot over the mid-on, Arya mistimes it as the ball lands into the hands of Romario Shepherd. First wicket gone for PBKS in the chase of 223. 

PBKS 1/1 (0.3 overs)

Hello and welcome to the second innings of the IPL 2026 match between PBKS and RCB. In the chase of 223, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have opened the proceedings for PBKS. Their partnership is a crucial one for PBKS as they need to get the early momentum. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be bowling the first over for RCB. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have ended their innings at 222/4 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala. For RCB, Venkatesh Iyer remained unbeaten at 73 off 40 balls, while Virat Kohli scored 58. Apart from them, Devdutt Padikkal also scored 45 off 25 balls. For PBKS, Harpreet Brar took two wickets, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh took one wicket each. PBKS now need 223 runs to win this match. 

Azmatullah Omarzai bowls an economical over and controls the flow of runs. In his previous over, he conceded just eight runs. Last over is left now and Arshdeep Singh faces the daunting task of restricting RCB. 

RCB 209/3 (19 overs)

Venkatesh Iyer continues to trouble PBKS bowlers and this time, Arshdeep Singh faces the heat. In the previous over of the pacer, the duo of Venkatesh and Tim David scored 13 runs. With this, RCB crossed the 200-run mark. With two overs remaining, how far can RCB go? 

RCB 200/3 (18 overs)

FIFTY!!! Venkatesh Iyer hits a maximum on Lockie Ferguson's delivery and brings up his half-century in style. It is his 13th half-century in the IPL and he brings it up in 29 balls. As Venkatesh completed his fifty, Virat Kohli gave a standing ovation from the dugout, applauding his teammates achievement. 

RCB 171/3 (16.3 overs)

OUT!!! Yuzvendra Chahal finally enters the party and dismisses Virat Kohli for 58. Was a well flighted delivery on middle and leg - Kohli stayed leg-sided on the on-drive, but he doesn't get the elevation needed on the shot, hit it squarer and straight to Priyansh Arya in the deep. Third wicket gone for RCB. 

RCB 157/3 (15 overs)

Punjab Kings' poor fielding performance continue to haunt them as Royal Challengers Bengaluru dominate the game. In the previous over of Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep did a misfield, which gave a boundary to Venaktesh Iyer. In total, Ferguson conceded 11 runs as RCB go past 130. 

RCB 131/2 (13 overs)

FIFTY!!! Virat Kohli takes a single on Shashank Singh's delivery and completes his half-century. It his 67th half-century in the IPL and he brings it up in 31 balls. Brilliant batting from Kohli as RCB continue to trouble PBKS bowlers. 

RCB 120/2 (11.5 overs)

Virat Kohli is currently unbeaten at 40 and inching towards his half-century. After the dismissal of Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer joined hands with Kohli. In the previous over of Yuzvendra Chahal, the duo scored nine runs. This included a boundary from Venkatesh. 

RCB 108/2 (11 overs)

OUT!!! The partnership between Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli is finally broken and again, Harpreet Brar strikes for Punjab Kings and dismisses the former for 45. Trying to go for a boundary, Padikkal goes for a cut, which lands simply into the hands of Shreyas Iyer at cover. Second wicket gone for RCB.

RCB 97/2 (9.1 overs)

Devdutt Padikkal is inching towards his half-century. Currently batting at 45, Padikkal's knock is truly giving a strong hold to RCB. Along with Padikkal, Virat Kohli is also playing a terrific knock. PBKS need a wicket at the earliest. 

RCB 97/1 (9 overs)

Most runs vs an opponent in the IPL

1189* - Virat Kohli vs PBKS (Avg: 37.15)

1174 - Virat Kohli vs CSK (Avg: 37.87)

1172 - Virat Kohli vs DC (Avg: 48.83)

1161 - Rohit Sharma vs KKR (Avg: 40.03)

1134 - David Warner vs PBKS (Avg: 49.3)

1126 - Virat Kohli vs KKR (Avg: 45.04)

Shreyas Iyer's strategy of bringing-in Yuzvendra Chahal miserably fails as Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli unleash their fury. In the previous over of the spinner, the duo cored 21 runs, which included two sixes from Padikkal and one boundary from Kohli. 

RCB 82/1 (7 overs)

Most 500-plus seasons in the IPL

9 - Virat Kohli

7 - David Warner

7 - KL Rahul

5 - Shikhar Dhawan

The first six overs of RCB's innings are up and they have brilliantly dominated the innings so far. With Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal at the crease, RCB have crossed the 60-run mark. Terrific batting from as PBKS bowlers need to get some wickets at the earliest. 

RCB 61/1 (6 overs)

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal's partnership is giving the much-needed momentum to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They are fearlessly dealing in boundaries and taking RCB ahead in the game. In the previous over Harpreet Brar , the duo scored nine runs. 

RCB 49/1 (5 overs)

Despite losing the wicket of Jacob Bethell, RCB are still enjoying the momentum as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal are forming a good partnership. In the previous over of Lockie Ferguson, the duo scored 13 runs. This included a maximum from Kohli and a boundary from Padikkal.

RCB 40/1 (4 overs)

OUT!!! Harpreet Brar draws the first blood for Punjab Kings as he continues to be RCB's favourite enemy. This time, he dismisses Jacob Bethell for 11 as RCB go one down. After hitting a  boundary, Bethell tries to cut it again but the ball hits the edge and then rattles the stumps. 

RCB 21/1 (2.2 overs)

Virat Kohli scripted history during the IPL 2026 encounter against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Sunday. Ahead of the match, he needed just 7 runs to achieve the feat and he reached the milestone with a six off the bowling of Azmatullah Omarzai. Overall, two other batters - Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner - have scored 5500 IPL runs as an opener but both cricketers have done it while playing for multiple franchises. 

RCB 17/0 (2 overs)

RCB are off to a steady start against Punjab Kings. In the first over by Arshdeep Singh, the duo of Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell rotated the strike regularly and scored four runs. They will be aiming for some boundaries in the upcoming overs. 

RCB 4/0 (1 over)

The IPL 2026 match between PBKS vs RCB finally begins. For RCB. Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell are out to bat. Both the openers are looking to provide RCB with a blistering start. On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh will be bowling the first over for PBKS. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer will be playing his 100th match as an IPL captain today. A big moment in his career as he looks forward to guide PBKS to a win and break the five-match losing streak. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

"We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic and we should see him in Hyderabad. Every game is important, this win can change a lot for us and other teams. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy," said RCB stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma. 

"We're going to bowl. I'm not going by the stats, we're clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn't matter. I seriously had no clue that this was my 100th game as a captain but it feels great. It feels like a great opportunity for me to win my 100th game (as captain). The bowling has been fantastic, but there are pressure moments where you need to execute and so you can't change the past, nor you can't anticipate the future. The beauty is to stay in the moment and see the moment and enjoy the pressure. Two changes for us (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) come in," said PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer. 

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer wins the toss, opts to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 match on Sunday. 

"We have a glorious day game here in the breathtaking hills of Dharamshala. Despite a touch of overnight rain, the curators have done a stellar job; it's had no impact on the preparation of this surface—the same one used for the Delhi game earlier this week. Now, we are slightly off-center on the square today, so there’s a bit of a boundary bias to my left and right, but 'downtown' remains a solid hit at just over 70 meters. The curator deserves a mountain of credit," said Danny Morrison.

Rajat Patidar has been one of RCB’s standout performers this season, amassing 326 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 195, including hitting three half-centuries. But his absence for the clash against Punjab Kings leaves a significant void in RCB’s middle order and it will be interesting to see who replaces him in the starting eleven.

“Rajat Patidar won’t be playing today. Jitesh will be the captain of RCB for this clash. Patidar wasn’t seen in RCB travel videos to Dharamshala and missed both practice sessions. He will be back for RCB’s last game in Hyderabad,” a source told IANS.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be without their regular skipper Rajat Patidar for their IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium, with wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma set to lead the side in his absence, confirmed news agency IANS. 

“We have played well in the tournament and I think everyone came in the different stage and doing [well] for the team. I think that's a great sign. And being at the top of the table, it's always a good thing. Good for the team. And as I said, we are taking just one game at a time, one step at a time,” said captain Rajat Patidar.

Arshdeep Singh, who has been showing glimpses of his brilliance with his swing and yorker execution, has found form in the past four games, but he has to be careful for his plans against Virat Kohli, who has plundered 101 runs in 58 balls against the left-armer at a strike rate of 174.13, dismissed only twice in 11 innings. The veteran batter has hit Arshdeep for 16 fours and a six.

Virat Kohli has a fine record against PBKS, having made 1,159 runs in 36 matches and innings at an average of 36.21 and a strike rate of over 132, with a century and six fifties. This is the most runs a batter has scored against an opponent in IPL history. The last time RCB visited Dharamshala in the 2024 season, Virat unleashed a 47-ball 92, with seven fours and six sixes.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are playing like a well oiled machine. Kohli, at 37 years of age, continues to redefine consistency, having smashed a 60-ball 105 against KKR in Raipur. Their pace department including Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will enjoy bowling on the Dharamsala given the conditions.

PBKS need to rejig its bowling combination with the likes of Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen proving expensive throughout the tournament. Arshdeep Singh has managed to bring his economy rate under 10 with his frugal returns in the last game while Azmatullah Omarzai made instant impact with bat and ball in his first game of the season. Vijaykumar Vyshak has been out of the side and perhaps the team goes back to him in search of much needed control in the middle and death overs.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru star batter Virat Kohli is on the cusp of a huge feat. He just needs seven runs more to complete his 5,500 runs in the IPL as an opener. He will the join Shikhar Dhawan (6362) and David Warner (5910) in the list of batters with 5,500 runs in the history of IPL. 

While RCB are sitting comfortable on the points table, a sixth loss for Punjab Kings would effectively shut the playoff door on the Shreyas Iyer-led side. In both the games played here, Punjab Kings failed to defend 210 and 200 after failing to control the last five overs. In fact, they have lost the most the numbers of games (10) after posting 200 plus total in the format’s history.

Defending champions, the only team which has maintained consistency throughout the tournament, are clear favourites against Punjab Kings, who are in a freefall having lost five games in a row after being the most dominant team in the first half of the tournament.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru would look to exploit vulnerabilities of a profligate Punjab Kings bowling line up to seal a play-off berth.  In the only day game scheduled at the scenic Dharamsala stadium, the top draw without an iota doubt is Virat Kohli, fresh off a hundred in the previous game.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the IPL 2026 match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, straight from the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. Stay tuned for the live updates.