"Peaking at the right time" is a concept that everyone has heard of. Over the past 20 days, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have unintentionally demonstrated that they are slipping at the wrong moment. After dominating the table for a significant portion of IPL 2026, PBKS has recently dropped to fourth place after five straight losses. Since the record chase against Delhi Capitals (DC), their issues have gotten worse: their fielding has been forgettable, their bowlers are leaking at the wrong moment, their batters aren't scoring as quickly, and luck hasn't been on their side—they have only won the coin once in the previous five games.
 |
| Venkatesh Iyer scored a thrilling fifty runs |
Even though PBKS was losing runs in the first half of the competition, their batting consistently made up for it. However, their batting average, attacking-shot %, control percentage, and scoring rate have all decreased over the past five games.
In their last five games, their top seven's first-ten-ball strike rate has dropped to 191 from a staggering 236.20 in their six victories. This is still a respectable figure. When their new hitters score 19 off 10, other teams will be pleased. What happens to PBKS when their batters are set is the real issue. In their six victories, their top seven hit at 251.80 between balls 21 and 30. In the five losses, that number has plummeted to 132.60.
Prabhsimran Singh's strike rate decreased from 192.60 to 139.40, Shreyas Iyer's decreased from 186 to 128.60, Priyansh Arya's decreased from 249 to 166.70, and Shashank Singh's decreased from 194.40 to 85.70 when compared to their five defeats. The timing of this IPL 2025 final rematch could not be worse for PBKS.
RCB 4, PBKS 1 in the last five meetings
Additional statistics:
Iyer will skipper his 100th IPL game, 41 of which will be for DC and 29 each for KKR and PBKS. At 58.3%, he is tied with MS Dhoni for the best victory percentage among IPL captains (minimum of 60 games).
In their last seven games in Dharamsala, PBKS has only managed one victory.
This IPL season, PBKS has both scored and given up eight totals of 200 or more, which are tied for the highest in a single IPL season. Against PBKS, Virat Kohli has amassed the most runs (1159) of any batter.
In the middle overs (7 to 16) of this IPL, RCB had the highest scoring rate (10.40), closely followed by PBKS (10.10). In that phase, Rajat Patidar had the most sixes (28), followed by Iyer (21).
Jitesh will lead RCB against PBKS
RCB will not be led by Rajat Patidar this afternoon. Does Patidar's head injury from Kartik Tyagi's bowling versus KKR have anything to do with this? We'll have to wait and see if Patidar bats only or plays at all.
Is PBKS able to register a W at last?
It's time for the IPL 2025 rematch between the Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala. Though for different reasons, it's an important game for both sides. After appearing unbeatable in the first part of the season, PBKS struggles in the second half. They lost five straight games after going undefeated in the first seven. They had been at the top of the table for a long time, but they have fallen to fourth, and they will be in serious trouble if they lose again. In the second half, the team has also been affected by off-field problems.
Conversely, RCB is doing quite well. With 16 points, they lead the points table, and another victory will guarantee them a postseason berth.
PBKS bowl without Jansen; Jitesh to lead the RCB
Punjab Kings choose to bowl against Bengaluru's Royal Challengers.
In a replay of the IPL 2025 final in Dharamsala, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl in his 100th IPL match as captain.
"I'm not going by the stats," he said on his decision to bowl while confirming the inclusion of Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson into the bowling first XI. That meant that there was no place for Marco Jansen in the team - he wasn't even named in the Impact subs list - or fast bowler Xavier Bartlett. PBKS will likely bring in Marcus Stoinis when they bat or Vishnu Vinod, who played a good hand in the last game against the Mumbai Indians.
Rajat Patidar, the regular captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was sidelined after suffering a severe knock on the back of his helmet during their most recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders. RCB captain Jitesh Sharma stated that although he would have preferred to bowl first, he didn't think the surface would change all that much.
Patidar is replaced by Suyash Sharma, and fast bowler Jacob Duffy is replaced by Romario Shepherd. The Impact Player is probably going to be Rasikh Salam.
In addition to solidifying RCB's top status in the standings, a victory will guarantee their place in the playoffs. Meanwhile, PBKS must break out of their losing streak. PBKS has lost five straight games in the second half of the league stage after appearing to be unbeatable in the first. They were at the top of the table for a long time, but they are currently in fourth place, and another loss will make it even harder for them to make the playoffs.
Punjab Kings bowling first XI: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Suryansh Shedge, 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact options: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey
RCB batting first XI: 1 Jacob Bethell, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Tim David, 6 Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Suyash Sharma, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Impact options: Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan
Beautiful Dharamsala gets ready for a Kohli classic
When Virat Kohli steps out to bat, there is a huge roar around Dharamsala. Jacob Bethell continues to start batting for RCB while Phil Salt hasn't arrived yet. Is it possible for him to score some runs?
Arshdeep Singh gets off to a neat start, giving up just four runs in his first over.
Brar strikes with two balls
With the bat spinning in his hand, Kohli's six over extra cover wasn't the cleanest of hits, but the altitude allowed the ball to go all the way.
Azmatullah Omarzai's thick inside edge, which soars past Jacob Bethell's stumps, gives him an early boundary. When he mistimes to mid-off, he almost falls on the following ball, but Arshdeep Singh dives forward, and the ball just misses him. But when it comes to Harpreet Brar, his luck runs out.
Brar is punched through the covers on the first ball as he returns to the side, but he quickly exacts revenge. Bethell only manages a chop-back onto his stumps on the subsequent ball after making a feeble attempt to push off the back foot. As Bethell's dismal IPL continues, Brar is pleased and hits the air. The cat and mouse game continues as Padikkal steps out and hits Brar's first ball over long-off.
500 and still growing!
Another season, another special moment for Kohli. For the ninth time in his IPL career, he has scored more than 500 runs this season. King Kohli has the most seasons with 500 or more runs of any batsman.
RCB wins the power play
In a powerplay dominated by the RCB hitters, Harpreet Brar scored with just his second delivery, but that was the only wicket Punjab Kings could muster. After inside-edging Brar and losing his off-bail, Jacob Bethell's inconsistent batting form persisted. However, Devdutt Padikkal, who is having a fantastic IPL, was at his most aggressive. After nudging Lockie Ferguson through fine leg and cutting Arshdeep Singh past backwards point to close the powerplay, he lifted Brar's first ball over the long-off fence for six.
On the other end, Kohli was also fluent. He welcomed Ferguson onto the bowling crease with his signature flick of the wrists over deep midwicket after hitting Azmatullah Omarzai for six over extra cover, though not off the centre of the bat. After six overs, Arshdeep was also dismissed over square leg, with RCB scoring 61 for 1.
RCB is still led by Padikkal and Kohli
Following the power play, Yuzvendra Chahal enters the attack, and Padikkal and Kohli immediately take him on. For six, Padikkal leaps down the track and smacks him flat on the ground. After Kohli closes the space between long-on and deep midwicket, Padikkal takes full advantage of a free hit to send Chahal down.
The core of RCB's batting this season has been Padikkal and Kohli, who love batting together. This season, the two have contributed 40% of all RCB runs. They had combined for 462 runs this season, which was the fifth-best going into the game. All four of the pairings above them are opening stands. Once more, they pass the 50-stand.
Brar prevails over the Lefties
The crucial blows are still being delivered by the left-arm spinner. With the help of the slender Dharamsala, he returns to the assault and eliminates Padikkal. Padikkal hammers the ball to extra cover after he floats it up just short of a length outside off, and Iyer finishes the play. While Kohli continues to advance, Venkatesh Iyer has entered at No. 4.
Once again, Brar has been frugal; he has taken two wickets at a tick over seven per over.
One more day, one more King Kohli fifty
For King Kohli, the IPL is just another day. He doesn't take many chances and rarely plays a shot out of rage, but he still scores at a respectable rate. He was content to sit in the backseat with Padikkal while he continued to score at a rate of about 180 and broke free when DDP retreated. After chasing Chahal and flicking Shashank over deep midwicket for six, he reaches his fifty to long-off off 31 balls.
This season, Kohli has already scored four fifties and a century.
An inspiring choice for RCB
This season, Venkatesh Iyer has had a few opportunities. He has scored 29* off 15 and 12 off 12 in the three appearances; he was not allowed to bat in the other game. However, Venky Iyer was moved up to No. 4 after Patidar left, and hasn't he seized the opportunity? At first, he appeared disoriented; at one point, he was on 9 off 10, but Iyer's batting took off after Arshdeep Singh misfielded at mid-off. In his last over, he chased Brar twice for four: over midwicket and down the ground. He then outperformed Chahal, hitting him over deep midwicket for six and then over long-on.
Venky Iyer keeps going even after Kohli is caught at deep midwicket by Chahal. He hits Ferguson for 6, 4, and 6 to achieve his fifty off just 29 balls after scooping Omarzai twice in two balls. RCB has surpassed 200 thanks to Venkatesh's first fifty for the team.
Venkatesh Iyer has just 19 balls to reach his first fifty in RCB colours, going from 10 to 50.
There are run-fests everywhere
53 totals of 200 or more this season, the greatest in any T20 competition, surpassing 52 in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
The unwelcome record of PBKS
In a T20 tournament, the Punjab Kings are the first team to let up nine totals of 200 or more.
RCB accumulates 222
A Dharamsala run-fest. Omarzai bowls a superb 19th over, giving up just eight runs. Arshdeep Singh also gets off to a strong start in the last over, giving up just four runs in the first three balls. However, David hits him for a four straight down the ground after slamming him for six over deep midwicket. Even though he misses the last ball, RCB has scored 222 for 4. David added the final touches with 28 off 12 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer finished undefeated with 73 off 40 balls, and Kohli at 58 off 37.
In order to avoid losing for the sixth time in a row, PBKS will need to bat extremely hard because the pitch is difficult and the ball is sticking to the surface.
Bhuvi obtains Arya
Bhuvi is leading the purple cap race for good reason. Once again, he is spot on and corrects Priyansh Arya's mid-on error. That is a significant blow to PBKS. Cooper Connolly, who is ranked third, gets off to a good start. Shepherd makes a meal of it after Bhuvneshwar is punched to the right of him at mid-on on the first ball. After that, the left-hander lifts Hazlewood over long-on for six after punching him over deep point.
A terrifying PBKS beginning
I promise that if Bhuvi's strike in the first over caused any damage, the subsequent two wickets have put PBKS in a terrible position. After Bhuvneshwar forces Prabhsimran to toe-edge to the first slip, Rasikh Salam sends back Shreyas Iyer with a beautiful, long ball that squares up the PBKS captain, who gets a narrow edge to the keeper.
Shepherd attacks
Punjab Kings were momentarily brought back to life by Connolly and Shedge. PBKS ended the powerplay on 49 for 3 as Shedge took 15 off Hazlewood's second over and Connolly hit Rasikh for a six and four in the penultimate over. Connolly hit Suyash Sharma for six as well, but he fell shortly after, sending a carefree Romario Shepherd delivery right down the throat of Deep Square. Shedge and Stoinis must act fast because the necessary run rate is already very near 13.
PBKS keeps declining
This evening, Suryansh Shedge appeared to be one of the top PBKS hitters, but he now falters, putting the home team in grave danger. He is eliminated by Suyash Sharma with a shortish ball outside off that is flat-batted to wide long off, where Virat Kohli makes a fine catch and injures his finger. With Suyash and Krunal performing brilliantly in the middle overs, the boundaries appear to have dried up.
Does this have a twist?
When Suryansh Shedge fell with PBKS on 93 for 5, and the necessary rate approached around 14.50 per over, the game was essentially going in one direction. However, this PBKS innings has been revitalised by Shashank Singh's arrival. In Suyash Sharma's third over, which is worth twenty, he hits three sixes. Then, in the fourteenth over, he ramps Krunal—yes, you read that correctly—and carves for two fours before Stoinis pursues Rasikh for consecutive fours.
Although Shashank has performed admirably as a finisher in previous seasons, IPL 2026 hasn't gone his way. Can he turn this PBKS around and help them pull off an improbable victory? The necessary rate is still higher than 15.
Right up to the wire!
Of all the ways to fall! Hazlewood bowls a knee-high full toss on leg stump to Marcus Stoinis immediately following the stoppage. He would have smoked that out of the stadium on any other day, but this time he missed and paid the price. The ball-tracker verifies the on-field umpire's decision to call him out for leg stump.
But with a half-century off 22 balls, Shashank is keeping Punjab Kings in the match. PBKS must score forty runs in the final two overs. All eyes on Omarzai and Shashank.
PBKS loses six straight games while RCB advances to the playoffs
Punjab Kings 199 for 8 (Shashank 56, Connolly 37, Rasikh 3-36, Bhuvneshwar 2-38) were defeated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Venkatesh 73*, Kohli 58, Padikkal 45, Brar 2-35) by 23 runs.
Punjab Kings appeared to be a lock for the playoffs—possibly even in the top two—for a considerable amount of time. After that, they faltered, slipped, and kept slipping until their chances of making the playoffs are really in jeopardy. In another run-fest in Dharamsala on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated PBKS by 23 runs, marking their sixth straight defeat. With just one game left, the outcome put PBKS in danger while also making RCB the first side to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. If there was ever a curse of the second half.
RCB was essentially in complete control of the match. RCB's No. 4 scored a thrilling half-century to propel them to 222 for 4. Not Rajat Patidar, please. Venkatesh Iyer, who has mostly been an Impact Player this season, was promoted while he was away from the game. For the first time in IPL 2026, Venkatesh batted in the top order and demonstrated his class by hammering an undefeated 73 off 40. Devdutt Padikkal (45 off 25) and Virat Kohli (57 off 37) also contributed to RCB's impressive score.
In just four overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam reduced PBKS to 19 for 3, the worst conceivable start to their chase. Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge launched counterattacks, but the needed rate kept rising. Although Shashank Singh's innings came too late in the game, he hit 56 off 27 balls. PBKS were held to 199 for 8 after Rasikh took two wickets in the 20th and the 19th, with PBKS requiring 40 off the final two overs.
PBKS bowl without Jansen; Jitesh to lead the RCB
Punjab Kings choose to bowl against Bengaluru's Royal Challengers.
In a replay of the IPL 2025 final in Dharamsala, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl in his 100th IPL match as captain.
"I'm not going by the stats," he said on his decision to bowl while confirming the inclusion of Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson into the bowling first XI. That meant that there was no place for Marco Jansen in the team - he wasn't even named in the Impact subs list - or fast bowler Xavier Bartlett. PBKS will likely bring in Marcus Stoinis when they bat or Vishnu Vinod, who played a good hand in the last game against the Mumbai Indians.
Rajat Patidar, the regular captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was sidelined after suffering a severe knock on the back of his helmet during their most recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders. RCB captain Jitesh Sharma stated that although he would have preferred to bowl first, he didn't think the surface would change all that much.
Patidar is replaced by Suyash Sharma, and fast bowler Jacob Duffy is replaced by Romario Shepherd. The Impact Player is probably going to be Rasikh Salam.
In addition to solidifying RCB's top status in the standings, a victory will guarantee their place in the playoffs. Meanwhile, PBKS must break out of their losing streak. PBKS has lost five straight games in the second half of the league stage after appearing to be unbeatable in the first. They were at the top of the table for a long time, but they are currently in fourth place, and another loss will make it even harder for them to make the playoffs.
Punjab Kings bowling first XI: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Suryansh Shedge, 7 Azmatullah Omarzai, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact options: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey
RCB batting first XI: 1 Jacob Bethell, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Tim David, 6 Jitesh Sharma (capt, wk), 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Suyash Sharma, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Impact options: Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan
Beautiful Dharamsala gets ready for a Kohli classic
When Virat Kohli steps out to bat, there is a huge roar around Dharamsala. Jacob Bethell continues to start batting for RCB while Phil Salt hasn't arrived yet. Is it possible for him to score some runs?
Arshdeep Singh gets off to a neat start, giving up just four runs in his first over.
Brar strikes with two balls
With the bat spinning in his hand, Kohli's six over extra cover wasn't the cleanest of hits, but the altitude allowed the ball to go all the way.
Azmatullah Omarzai's thick inside edge, which soars past Jacob Bethell's stumps, gives him an early boundary. When he mistimes to mid-off, he almost falls on the following ball, but Arshdeep Singh dives forward, and the ball just misses him. But when it comes to Harpreet Brar, his luck runs out.
Brar is punched through the covers on the first ball as he returns to the side, but he quickly exacts revenge. Bethell only manages a chop-back onto his stumps on the subsequent ball after making a feeble attempt to push off the back foot. As Bethell's dismal IPL continues, Brar is pleased and hits the air. The cat and mouse game continues as Padikkal steps out and hits Brar's first ball over long-off.
500 and still growing!
Another season, another special moment for Kohli. For the ninth time in his IPL career, he has scored more than 500 runs this season. King Kohli has the most seasons with 500 or more runs of any batsman.
RCB wins the power play
In a powerplay dominated by the RCB hitters, Harpreet Brar scored with just his second delivery, but that was the only wicket Punjab Kings could muster. After inside-edging Brar and losing his off-bail, Jacob Bethell's inconsistent batting form persisted. However, Devdutt Padikkal, who is having a fantastic IPL, was at his most aggressive. After nudging Lockie Ferguson through fine leg and cutting Arshdeep Singh past backwards point to close the powerplay, he lifted Brar's first ball over the long-off fence for six.
On the other end, Kohli was also fluent. He welcomed Ferguson onto the bowling crease with his signature flick of the wrists over deep midwicket after hitting Azmatullah Omarzai for six over extra cover, though not off the centre of the bat. After six overs, Arshdeep was also dismissed over square leg, with RCB scoring 61 for 1.
RCB is still led by Padikkal and Kohli
Following the power play, Yuzvendra Chahal enters the attack, and Padikkal and Kohli immediately take him on. For six, Padikkal leaps down the track and smacks him flat on the ground. After Kohli closes the space between long-on and deep midwicket, Padikkal takes full advantage of a free hit to send Chahal down.
The core of RCB's batting this season has been Padikkal and Kohli, who love batting together. This season, the two have contributed 40% of all RCB runs. They had combined for 462 runs this season, which was the fifth-best going into the game. All four of the pairings above them are opening stands. Once more, they pass the 50-stand.
Brar prevails over the Lefties
The crucial blows are still being delivered by the left-arm spinner. With the help of the slender Dharamsala, he returns to the assault and eliminates Padikkal. Padikkal hammers the ball to extra cover after he floats it up just short of a length outside off, and Iyer finishes the play. While Kohli continues to advance, Venkatesh Iyer has entered at No. 4.
Once again, Brar has been frugal; he has taken two wickets at a tick over seven per over.
One more day, one more King Kohli fifty
For King Kohli, the IPL is just another day. He doesn't take many chances and rarely plays a shot out of rage, but he still scores at a respectable rate. He was content to sit in the backseat with Padikkal while he continued to score at a rate of about 180 and broke free when DDP retreated. After chasing Chahal and flicking Shashank over deep midwicket for six, he reaches his fifty to long-off off 31 balls.
This season, Kohli has already scored four fifties and a century.
An inspiring choice for RCB
This season, Venkatesh Iyer has had a few opportunities. He has scored 29* off 15 and 12 off 12 in the three appearances; he was not allowed to bat in the other game. However, Venky Iyer was moved up to No. 4 after Patidar left, and hasn't he seized the opportunity? At first, he appeared disoriented; at one point, he was on 9 off 10, but Iyer's batting took off after Arshdeep Singh misfielded at mid-off. In his last over, he chased Brar twice for four: over midwicket and down the ground. He then outperformed Chahal, hitting him over deep midwicket for six and then over long-on.
Venky Iyer keeps going even after Kohli is caught at deep midwicket by Chahal. He hits Ferguson for 6, 4, and 6 to achieve his fifty off just 29 balls after scooping Omarzai twice in two balls. RCB has surpassed 200 thanks to Venkatesh's first fifty for the team.
Venkatesh Iyer has just 19 balls to reach his first fifty in RCB colours, going from 10 to 50.
There are run-fests everywhere
53 totals of 200 or more this season, the greatest in any T20 competition, surpassing 52 in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
The unwelcome record of PBKS
In a T20 tournament, the Punjab Kings are the first team to let up nine totals of 200 or more.
RCB accumulates 222
A Dharamsala run-fest. Omarzai bowls a superb 19th over, giving up just eight runs. Arshdeep Singh also gets off to a strong start in the last over, giving up just four runs in the first three balls. However, David hits him for a four straight down the ground after slamming him for six over deep midwicket. Even though he misses the last ball, RCB has scored 222 for 4. David added the final touches with 28 off 12 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer finished undefeated with 73 off 40 balls, and Kohli at 58 off 37.
In order to avoid losing for the sixth time in a row, PBKS will need to bat extremely hard because the pitch is difficult and the ball is sticking to the surface.
Bhuvi obtains Arya
Bhuvi is leading the purple cap race for good reason. Once again, he is spot on and corrects Priyansh Arya's mid-on error. That is a significant blow to PBKS. Cooper Connolly, who is ranked third, gets off to a good start. Shepherd makes a meal of it after Bhuvneshwar is punched to the right of him at mid-on on the first ball. After that, the left-hander lifts Hazlewood over long-on for six after punching him over deep point.
A terrifying PBKS beginning
I promise that if Bhuvi's strike in the first over caused any damage, the subsequent two wickets have put PBKS in a terrible position. After Bhuvneshwar forces Prabhsimran to toe-edge to the first slip, Rasikh Salam sends back Shreyas Iyer with a beautiful, long ball that squares up the PBKS captain, who gets a narrow edge to the keeper.
Shepherd attacks
Punjab Kings were momentarily brought back to life by Connolly and Shedge. PBKS ended the powerplay on 49 for 3 as Shedge took 15 off Hazlewood's second over and Connolly hit Rasikh for a six and four in the penultimate over. Connolly hit Suyash Sharma for six as well, but he fell shortly after, sending a carefree Romario Shepherd delivery right down the throat of Deep Square. Shedge and Stoinis must act fast because the necessary run rate is already very near 13.
PBKS keeps declining
This evening, Suryansh Shedge appeared to be one of the top PBKS hitters, but he now falters, putting the home team in grave danger. He is eliminated by Suyash Sharma with a shortish ball outside off that is flat-batted to wide long off, where Virat Kohli makes a fine catch and injures his finger. With Suyash and Krunal performing brilliantly in the middle overs, the boundaries appear to have dried up.
Does this have a twist?
When Suryansh Shedge fell with PBKS on 93 for 5, and the necessary rate approached around 14.50 per over, the game was essentially going in one direction. However, this PBKS innings has been revitalised by Shashank Singh's arrival. In Suyash Sharma's third over, which is worth twenty, he hits three sixes. Then, in the fourteenth over, he ramps Krunal—yes, you read that correctly—and carves for two fours before Stoinis pursues Rasikh for consecutive fours.
Although Shashank has performed admirably as a finisher in previous seasons, IPL 2026 hasn't gone his way. Can he turn this PBKS around and help them pull off an improbable victory? The necessary rate is still higher than 15.
Right up to the wire!
Of all the ways to fall! Hazlewood bowls a knee-high full toss on leg stump to Marcus Stoinis immediately following the stoppage. He would have smoked that out of the stadium on any other day, but this time he missed and paid the price. The ball-tracker verifies the on-field umpire's decision to call him out for leg stump.
But with a half-century off 22 balls, Shashank is keeping Punjab Kings in the match. PBKS must score forty runs in the final two overs. All eyes on Omarzai and Shashank.
PBKS loses six straight games while RCB advances to the playoffs
Punjab Kings 199 for 8 (Shashank 56, Connolly 37, Rasikh 3-36, Bhuvneshwar 2-38) were defeated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Venkatesh 73*, Kohli 58, Padikkal 45, Brar 2-35) by 23 runs.
Punjab Kings appeared to be a lock for the playoffs—possibly even in the top two—for a considerable amount of time. After that, they faltered, slipped, and kept slipping until their chances of making the playoffs are really in jeopardy. In another run-fest in Dharamsala on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated PBKS by 23 runs, marking their sixth straight defeat. With just one game left, the outcome put PBKS in danger while also making RCB the first side to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. If there was ever a curse of the second half.
RCB was essentially in complete control of the match. RCB's No. 4 scored a thrilling half-century to propel them to 222 for 4. Not Rajat Patidar, please. Venkatesh Iyer, who has mostly been an Impact Player this season, was promoted while he was away from the game. For the first time in IPL 2026, Venkatesh batted in the top order and demonstrated his class by hammering an undefeated 73 off 40. Devdutt Padikkal (45 off 25) and Virat Kohli (57 off 37) also contributed to RCB's impressive score.
In just four overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Salam reduced PBKS to 19 for 3, the worst conceivable start to their chase. Marcus Stoinis and Suryansh Shedge launched counterattacks, but the needed rate kept rising. Although Shashank Singh's innings came too late in the game, he hit 56 off 27 balls. PBKS were held to 199 for 8 after Rasikh took two wickets in the 20th and the 19th, with PBKS requiring 40 off the final two overs.
No comments:
Post a Comment