PBKS vs. RR live score, IPL 2026: Ferreira and Dubey give PBKS their season's first defeat

Apr 28, 2026, 4:27 PM

How can the Punjab Kings' batting be stopped?

In the powerplay, Priyansh Arya kicks down the door. Prabhsimran Singh maintains a fast-paced storyline. Cooper Connolly, a rookie, leaves a lasting impression. And Shreyas Iyer enters the room as if he already knows how it would end. Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh make brief but powerful cameos if anything is left undone.

They scored the most runs (3140) of any IPL club in a single season in 2025. They've improved on that this year, scoring at 11.74 runs per over in their six hitting innings. In the IPL, no team has ever scored that many runs. Their batting average per wicket of 43.83, which is the highest of any side in all IPL seasons, is what poses the most threat.

In their opening encounter of the season, do the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have enough bowling to defeat them? Well, perhaps.

In the powerplay, Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a great start.

Apr 28, 2026, 5:15 PM

Do the Rajasthan Royals possess the necessary firepower?

Jofra Archer's 13 IPL 2026 wickets are worth 17.3 impact wickets since he has bowled so effective against top-order batsmen. In IPL 2026, his ability to produce wicket-taking balls in his first over—three times on the first ball itself—might be the ideal early shock to PBKS.

Even though his eight wickets don't show it, Nandre Burger has quietly had the upper hand over the majority of batsmen. This season, he has had the greatest percentage of incorrect strokes of any bowler, at 46%.

However, bowling well by itself is insufficient. RR will still require more than simply Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blitz and Yashasvi Jaiswal's consistency, even if PBKS scores 30 less runs than normal. With only a half century, a strike rate of 126, and an average of 20.6, their Nos. 4 through 8 are still among the poorest this season. Forget the two points against PBKS until that aspect of their game improves, but RR runs the risk of falling farther in the standings.

Apr 28, 2026, 5:44 PM

Will Parag find his form again?

After a great start to the season, PBKS spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has lost his effectiveness. He has only taken one wicket in his last four games, with an economy rate of 11.1. Chahal's ability to eke out dots is one of his skills, but it has also diminished during this time, averaging only one per over. Because he is having trouble applying pressure, he is also failing to take wickets. Has the greatest wicket-taker in IPL history lost his spark?

Everyone in the RR camp will tell you that Riyan Parag is hitting it well at the nets when you ask them about his form during press conferences. But Parag's stats are even worse than Hetmyer's, with 88 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 112.82. Giving him a break from the XII is a more difficult choice because he is the captain. When will some significant runs on the park result from Parag's deft touch in the nets?

Apr 28, 2026, 6:17 PM

Can PBKS be stopped by RR?

With six victories in seven games and one washout, Punjab Kings have had an incredible start to the 2026 Indian Premier League. With seven balls remaining, PBKS chased down 265 (!) in the previous game. Priyansh Arya is unstoppable, Prabhsimran Singh maintains a fast-paced plot, Shreyas Iyer is acting like Shreyas Iyer, and rookie Coopper Connolly is performing at his peak. When the two teams play each other for the first time this season, do RR have the bowling to stop them? Well, perhaps.

While Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi have been reliable, Jofra Archer has been outstanding against top-order batters, and Nandre Burger has subtly outperformed most batters.

Apr 28, 2026, 6:43 PM

Is the bowling of PBKS a problem?

Their economy rate is 10.38 during the powerplay, 10.06 during the middle overs, and 10.33 during the final overs. They frequently appeared to be out of choices after giving up more than 190 runs in five of the seven innings (one game was wiped out). In addition to Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Xavier Bartlett have also struggled. Yuzvendra Chahal has been reliable, but the fast bowlers must improve.

For this game, should PBKS start Lockie Ferguson?

Apr 28, 2026, 7:12 PM

RR brings in Punja and Shanaka, then bowls

The Rajasthan Royals choose to bowl against the Punjab Kings.

In the final IPL 2026 match at New Chandigarh, Rajasthan Royals [RR] skipper Riyan Parag chose to bowl against Punjab Kings [PBKS] after winning the toss. They replaced Shimron Hetmyer with all-rounder Dasun Shanaka and Ravi Bishnoi with legspinner Yash Raj Punja.

Parag claimed that the "cloud cover and little showers as well" influenced his choice to bowl.

Shreyas Iyer, the captain of PBKS, added that he was hoping to bowl because the "wicket was covered for a couple of days". Suryansh Shedge replaced Shashank Singh in one of PBKS's two forced changes. In his first game of the season, fast bowler Lockie Ferguson takes Xavier Bartlett's place.

Shreyas also sent Azmatalluah Omarzai his sincere sympathies for the passing of his mother.

PBKS has not lost a game in the competition thus far, indicating that they are in excellent form. They achieved the most successful T20 chase in the previous game, chasing down 265 with seven balls remaining. They have already won six of their seven games, with one being cancelled. Before returning to winning ways against the Lucknow Super Giants, RR had a two-game losing streak after starting the season with four straight victories. They were defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad three days prior to the match.

Rajasthan Royals bowling-first XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Donovan Ferreira, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Brijesh Sharma, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Yash Raj Punja

RR bench: Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer

Punjab Kings batting-first XI: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Suryansh Shedge, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

PBKS bench: Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan

Apr 28, 2026, 7:25 PM

For RR, no Bishnoi

Interestingly, RR replaced one of their best spinners, Bishnoi, with a rookie, Yash Raj Punja. It's a perplexing choice despite the element of surprise being a factor against a team full of right-handers. In the one over he bowled against SRH, Bishnoi did go for runs, but you don't discard one of your best spinners after a few difficult games, do you?

Ferguson was brought in by PBKS, which was anticipated, but Shreyas Iyer claims that the other was a forced change.

Pitch Report: Square bounds are slightly skewed, with 70 metres on one side and 64 metres on the other. Danny Morrison adds, "There was some rain around, and it is a very good surface. He does not expect a team to be 8-6 like last night, even though there could be some help for the pacers early." Deep Dasgupta ends by adding that it should be a decent batting surface since otherwise the ball can skid on.

Apr 28, 2026, 7:38 PM

Archer did not take a first-over wicket

No first ball wicket for Jofra Archer, but Prabhsimran Singh has got a boundary early and RR are 8 for 0 after the first over. Negotiating Archer's first over is crucial because, in the IPL 2026, he struck five times, easily the most this season.

Apr 28, 2026, 7:44 PM

You are a star, Priyansh Arya!

People are waxing poetic about Priyansh Arya because of this; he truly is exceptional. Before the game, his powerplay strike percentage was 260.27, which is the highest of the season. And it will only get worse. He pulls when Nandre Burger tests him with a short ball that is headed for deep square leg, but his timing is off. Burger is dragged to the left of mid-on and becomes somewhat fuller on the subsequent ball. The next picture is quite unique! Burger delivered a back-of-a-length ball outside off stump, which wasn't at all terrible.

What then does Arya do? He plays a clean six with an on-the-up aerial backfoot punch over covers while standing tall! The ball that follows is sliced over the backwards point. Next, Arya has some luck as he defeats Burger by going for 21 in his first over.

2 4 6 4 4 1

Apr 28, 2026, 7:55 PM

Against Arya, Archer

Archer's experience versus Arya's bravery. A shout, two fours, and a wicket. What a trade

In IPL 2026, Archer has been on fire. He catches Arya outside edge through where the first slip would have been with a beautiful, good-length ball that rises sharply over off stump. However, Archer looks back at his captain Riyan and nearly yells at him because there isn't a slip in place. A slip occurs, and Arya edges Archer once again over Jaiswal's head. Jaiswal reaches for it with his fingertips but is unable to grab it. Arya sprints off after two fours in four balls, leaving Archer unlucky. But he's not giving up, is he?

The fast bowler returns with a thunderbolt that is longer in length and bowled just outside off at 150.1 kph. Arya tries to clear mid-on, but she makes a mistake, and Burger finishes the job. Archer's expression was one of relief and happiness. This duel is won by the bowler.

4 0 0 4 W 0

Apr 28, 2026, 8:06 PM

65 PBKS strikes on a powerplay

In the IPL 2026 powerplay, Priyansh Arya's opening partner Prabhsimran is not far behind with 260.71. In the first six overs of the season, his strike rate of 188.57 is the fourth-highest of anyone who has faced more than 60 balls during this phase. He particularly likes Nandre Burger, and after pumping him for two fours in the previous over, he smashes him for 19 off 10 balls, including a whip over deep square leg to begin the sixth over.

Burger, who has gone for 45 runs off his first three overs, has been hammered by PBKS, who end the powerplay at 65 for 1. Archer and Brijesh Sharma have been economical.

Prabhsimran Singh's IPL 2026 powerplay strike rate of 188.57 is the fourth-highest for anyone who has faced more than 60 balls during this period.

Apr 28, 2026, 8:19 PM

Connolly's brief appearance concludes

He arrived like a train determined to prevent the RR bowlers from settling. He pumped Burger over mid-off to begin his boundary counter before pursuing rookie Punja. Before smashing a long-hop for a massive six over deep midwicket, he first slices a straight six. After that, he challenges Ravindra Jadeja's experience by smashing him over long-on and then slashing him between short third and backwards point.

However, Punja makes a spectacular comeback and is thrilled to see Connolly's back! Connolly tries to go straight down the ground once more, but he is tricked by the googly and slices straight up, leaving Ferreira to finish. Punja rejoices. Is there a way for RR to get here?

Apr 28, 2026, 8:31 PM

PBKS continues thanks to Prabhsimran 50

This is now his fourth fifty of the season, and he has been in excellent form. He gets there in 35 balls, which is a little slower than his previous knocks, but he's held the innings admirably after Arya fell. In his comeback spell, he races through the 40s with two fours against Archer before nudging Jadeja to his fifty. Prabhsimran's control percentage of 78 indicates that this hasn't been his most fluid innings. Above all, he's still out there despite a couple inside-edges and skews.

Apr 28, 2026, 8:48 PM

Punjab is being harmed by Punja

Punja is already shown remarkable game knowledge in just his second IPL encounter. Yes, he has been blasted for four sixes, but he has also hit twice, taking Connolly and Prabhsimran, two crucial wickets. At six feet five inches tall, he makes great use of his height to add more bounce, especially with his googly. He has been penalised whenever he has gone short, but the wickets have come when he has been on a length or fuller. He finishes his session at 2 for 41.

Apr 28, 2026, 8:57 PM

Prabhsimran trips and spins once again

Though he has struggled against spin, Prabhsimran is having an outstanding season and is currently PBKS' top run scorer. So far this season, the opener has scored the most runs for PBKS—346 in eight innings.

However, they have only lost to them once, and 267 of those runs have come against pace off 134 balls, a strike rate of 199.25. He has struck at 133.89 and scored 79 runs in 59 balls against spin, but he has succumbed to them five times!

He falls to spin once more, cutting Punja in half. Is spin the best course of action against Prabhsimran?

In IPL 2026, Prabhsimran has fallen to spin five times. He only has a strike rate of 133.89 against spin.

Apr 28, 2026, 9:14 PM

The "Hulk" is here

Marcus Stoinis has hardly had any time in the middle because the PBKS top-order has been playing so well. He has faced 27 balls and batted just four times in IPL 2026 prior to this match. He finally gets some playing time against RR, and wow is Stoinis showing off! He challenges Archer twice, hitting him for a six over deep midwicket and then directly over the bowler's head. However, Stoinis saves his best for the final over. After just 18 runs in his opening three overs, Brijesh Sharma was making good use of his slower balls, which were gripping and difficult to smash. However, Stoinis was not in the mood to treat the child with dignity.

He pumps a shin-high full toss over wide long-on after swiping Brijesh past short fine leg after a first ball dot. He bludgeons Brijesh over further cover after tonking an almost waist-high full toss over cow corner. Stoinis scores 24 runs off the last over of the innings by going exactly inside the line of a low full delivery and swiping it past square leg. The Hulk takes PBKS to 222 for 4 with a final score of 62 off 22 balls at 281.81.

The final over 0 4 6 6 4 4

Apr 28, 2026, 9:24 PM

Sooryavanshi versus Arshdeep is coming up

Although Arshdeep Singh hasn't been playing well in the 2026 Indian Premier League, bowlers can benefit from this surface. Can he cause problems for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashavi Jaiswal, the two left-handers?

PBKS 73.68% | RR 26.32% is the win probability.

Apr 28, 2026, 9:31 PM

Six, Four, Four

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi receives the opening strike from Jaiswal right away. Sooryavanshi pulls out two perfect yorkers on middle from Arshdeep to start. You will receive two dots in opposition to this fifteen-year-old. He smacks Arshdeep over deep backwards square leg for a massive six after getting a full ball on middle and leg. As RR collects 15 off the first over, he concludes the over by clipping Arshdeep through backwards point after a misfield at deep square leg gives him another four.

1 0 0 6 4 4

Apr 28, 2026, 9:47 PM

Arshdeep prevails in the conflict

Oh, this is a crucial part of the game. Sooryavanshi leaves after one more round of book cricket. He got off to a fast start. He pursues Lockie Ferguson after amassing 14 runs in the first over. The thick top edge flies over the initial slip. That could be fortunate, but the following ball will be furious. Sooryavanshi's whippage, a nearly half-helicopter stroke that goes for six over deep midwicket, is the result of Ferguson going full on middle and leg. After that, he goes straight and quickly gives Marco Jansen a six and a four as well.

After that, Arshdeep circles the wicket to give him more space. After Sooryavanshi hits a six, Shreyas runs back from mid-off and makes a comfortable catch after Sooryavanshi slices a low full throw straight up. With three fours and five sixes, Sooryavanshi is dismissed for 43 off 16.

4 6 6 4 1 0 6 0 1 1w 6 W

Apr 28, 2026, 9:54 PM

The Orange cap race is led by Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi surpassed Abhishek Sharma to become the IPL 2026's top run scorer with his 43 off 16. As of right now, he has amassed 400 runs in just 168 balls, with an almost unbelievable strike rate of 238.09.

It has taken Sooryavanshi 167 balls to reach 400 runs. In terms of balls faced, this is the fastest batsman to reach 400 runs in an IPL season.

167 Sooryavanshi is the fastest batsman to reach 400 runs in an IPL season, having done so in just 167 balls in 2026.

Apr 28, 2026, 10:07 PM

In the powerplay, Jai-Soorya smashes 84

In a 223-chase, getting off to a fast start was essential, especially on a wicket where the slower bowlers were receiving adequate purchase. Again, Sooryavanshi got off to a fast start, hitting 46 off of just 16 balls. In the first over, Arshdeep bowled him two precise yorkers, which he dug out. Then, to end the over in style, he went 6, 4, 4. In his first game of the season, Lockie Ferguson needed some time to settle into a groove. He was not getting the time from Sooryavanshi. After getting a thick outside edge over slip, he whipped him a scorcher over deep midwicket at 145.1 kph before going straight down the ground for six more.

In 3.2 overs, RR reached 50, but Arshdeep's around-the-wicket angle proved to be effective, as Sooryavanshi sliced him straight up as Shreyas Iyer ran back from mid-off and made a simple catch.

All the while, Yashasvi Jaiswal remained a mute bystander. He launched an onslaught as soon as Sooryavanshi left. As RR stormed to 66 for 1 after four overs, he went 4, 6, 4 against Arshdeep. The Impact Player, Harpreet Brar, bowled a boundary-less fifth over, but RR raced to 84 for 1 after six, effectively ending Ferguson's pursuit.

Apr 28, 2026, 10:27 PM

FTW, PBKS spinners!

PBKS had to respond to RR's early blows, and they used their spinners to help them do so. Harpreet Brar effectively varied his pace while bowling wicket to wicket, leaving the hitters with little space to work with. He let up just a four and a six throughout his session, and his four overs only cost 25 runs.

Brar was economical, however he failed to take any wickets. Chahal ensured that he made amends. Chahal has held steady throughout the tournament while the other PBKS bowlers have suffered. Following a bold powerplay, RR lost Jurel and only scored 25 runs in the following four overs.

Apr 28, 2026, 10:43 PM

Chahal captures Parag and Jaiswal

Despite the slump, RR's powerplay hitting was so strong that they were scoring more than ten runs each over. After hitting his fifty from 26 balls, Jaiswal collapsed, sending Chahal plummeting to the ground. Parag made a few enjoyable strokes, but his reverse sweep off Harpreet was the best. However, Chahal ended his innings on 29. RR needed someone to start the innings fast because the required rate was rising above 12 an over.

Apr 28, 2026, 10:48 PM

Pace is moving

When Parag holed out, the needed rate was precisely 12. However, there was another crucial element at play here. The spinners had finished. Donovan Ferreira and Impact Player Shubham Dubey made the decision to take on the bowling since there was only speed left. Before the two faced Arshdeep once again, Jansen was hit for a four and a six, and Arshdeep was hit for three fours in his return over. After 14 overs, the chase may have been difficult, but the two made it easy.

Apr 28, 2026, 10:55 PM

RR gives PBKS their season's first defeat

Punjab Kings 222 for 4 (Stoinis 62*, Prabhsimran 59, Punja 2-41) were defeated by Rajasthan Royals 228 for 4 (Ferreira 52*, Jaiswal 51, Sooryavanshi 43, Chahal 3-36) by six wickets.

Donovan Ferreira demonstrated why the Rajasthan Royals were eager to have him traded in, Shubham Dubey emphasised the value of an impact player, and Yashavi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued their incredible run as RR gave Punjab Kings their first IPL 2026 loss. Ferreira and Dubey combined for 77 runs off 32 balls for the fifth wicket in another run-fest at New Chandigarh, where 222 played 228, turning what at one point appeared to be a difficult run-chase into a cakewalk and securing a victory by six wickets with four balls to spare.

Marcus Stoinis hammered an undefeated 62 off 22 balls, while Yuzvendra Chahal took 3 for 36, but their contributions were insufficient as RR dropped to third position on the points standings.