Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have booked their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs for the first time, sealing qualification with a complete all-round show in the rematch of last year’s final against Punjab Kings. The match, played in Dharamsala, swung RCB’s way through a strong top-order platform and a disciplined finish that left PBKS chasing a mountain.
Quick facts
- RCB became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.
- Venkatesh Iyer struck 73* off 44 balls after being promoted to No. 4.
- Virat Kohli made 58 off 37 and Devdutt Padikkal contributed 45 off 25.
- RCB posted 222/4 in 20 overs.
- PBKS were restricted to 199/8 in 20 overs.
- Result: RCB won by 23 runs.
- PBKS have not won since April 25 and have lost six in a row.
The standout innings came from Venkatesh Iyer, who was inserted at number four in a reshuffled batting order and responded with an unbeaten 73 off 44 deliveries. Kohli anchored the momentum with 58 off 37, while Padikkal struck 45 off 25 to ensure RCB’s chase of runs never truly lost its spark.
Once PBKS began their response, it quickly turned into the kind of chase that slips out of reach early. The visitors lost three wickets inside the Powerplay, and although Shashank Singh produced a fast, fighting half-century, the rest of the batting could not keep pace. That 23-run defeat pushed PBKS deeper into their slump: they have still not tasted victory since April 25, having dropped six straight after remaining unbeaten through the first half of the league stage.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 222/4 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 73* off 40; Virat Kohli 58 off 37; Harpreet Brar 2/35) beat Punjab Kings 199/8 in 20 overs (Shashank Singh 56 off 27; Rasikh Dar 3/36; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/39) by 23 runs.
Padikkal strikes early, and the Powerplay stays intact
Devdutt Padikkal made an immediate statement with the first ball he faced, taking it over the boundary for the third time this season. The shot arrived after Jacob Bethell fell cheaply again, but this time RCB’s early wicket cluster did not materialise in the way it has often haunted them when batting first.
Even with a Powerplay total of 61 that looked slightly underwhelming on the scoreboard, the key was stability. Kohli added 24 off 15, while Padikkal made 23 off 14, and the innings moved forward without the familiar collapse. The scoring rate then jumped right after the Powerplay as Yuzvendra Chahal’s opening over went for 21, pushing RCB’s run rate beyond 11.
Changes after the previous match
RCB’s line-up also carried a notable adjustment from the previous encounter. Rajat Patidar missed the game after suffering a concussion, sustained after wearing a Kartik Tyagi bouncer on the helmet in the earlier match. That setback forced RCB to revert to an older combination, with Romario Shepherd coming back into the XI in place of Jacob Duffy and Venkatesh Iyer seamlessly taking over at No. 4.
From there, RCB built another platform through a half-century partnership. Padikkal and Kohli stitched together a stand worth 76 off 41 before Iyer took the momentum forward alongside Kohli. Kohli reached his fifty more comfortably, but Iyer took a little longer to break free—moving to 15 off 14—before switching gears aggressively.
Iyer then capitalised on favourable match-ups, striking Harpreet Brar for a couple of boundaries and going after Yuzvendra Chahal with two sixes. The timing ensured RCB maximised the batting advantages they had created through the earlier overs.
Tim David arrives at the right moment
Kohli’s dismissal came off the last ball of the 15th over, and it opened the door for Tim David to accelerate at the perfect time. David faced only two balls during the next two overs, but the limited presence did not matter because Iyer was already in full flow at the other end.
Iyer hammered 27 off the 10 balls in that burst, including 19 runs in a single over off Lockie Ferguson. Azmatullah Omarzai produced a strong 19th over, yet crucial boundaries at the death kept RCB moving towards a challenging total. David finished with 28 off 12, lifting the innings to 222, while Iyer remained unbeaten—an innings that underlined his value and gave RCB a useful balance going into the next phase of the tournament.
Bhuvneshwar’s Powerplay impact derails PBKS
PBKS’s chase of 222 depended heavily on how their young openers negotiated the new-ball pressure from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. In practice, they could not hold their footing through the Powerplay burst from the RCB pacer, and the chase quickly lost its shape.
Priyansh Arya mis-timed a pull that held up on the surface and ended up finding mid-on. Prabhsimran Singh attempted to cut Bhuvneshwar and edged to the keeper, compounding PBKS’s early problems. PBKS then took another body blow when Rasikh Dar struck in his first over, forcing Shreyas Iyer’s edge through to the keeper.
Cooper Connolly and Suryansh Shedge attempted brief counter-attacks, but at 49 for 3 the chase was already facing steep odds. From there, the required run rate never settled, and PBKS were left chasing momentum rather than creating it.
Shashank Singh’s surge is not enough
By the 11th over, PBKS had already lost half their side, while their scoring rate remained under 9 runs per over. The turning point arrived when Shashank Singh, promoted above Omarzai, smashed three sixes off Suyash Sharma in a 20-run over that briefly lifted the atmosphere around the chase.
Bethell then put down Marcus Stoinis off Krunal Pandya—an over that also brought two more boundaries for Shashank. The partnership between the pair added 67 off 32 balls, but the breakthrough still came: Stoinis was dismissed for 37 after failing to connect with a full toss from Hazlewood, and was ruled LBW.
With 77 needed from the final five overs, the target would usually be considered chaseable under easing conditions. However, the chase mirrored the pattern of last year’s final in one crucial way—Shashank’s 27-ball 56 could not bridge the gap created earlier. The deficit, especially against RCB’s death-bowling trio of Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood and Rasikh Dar, proved decisive.
What next
Looking ahead, RCB will bring down the curtain on the league phase against SRH on Friday, May 22. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, will travel to face Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on Saturday, May 23, with their qualification hopes now hanging by a thread.
