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Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hammered Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 23 runs to become the first team to make it to IPL 2026 playoffs on May 17.
RCB storm into playoffs after crushing PBKS
Batting first posted a big total of 222/4, thanks to brilliant fifties from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer. In reply, PBKS were restricted to 199/8 despite Shashank Singh's 27-ball 56.
It was PBKS' sixth straight defeat which has almost shut the door to playoffs as they are left stranded at 13 points after as many matches.
PBKS run out of steam in high-scoring thriller
Chasing a massive 223, Punjab's pursuit began on a nervy note as Bengaluru's pace attack mounted intense pressure during the first ten overs. The hosts were rocked in the very opening over when veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed opener Priyansh Arya, instantly forcing Punjab onto the back foot.
With the required run rate hovering around 11 runs per over from the outset, the Punjab batters had no choice but to go on the offensive. However, RCB’s disciplined bowling lines and sharp fielding continuously denied the home side any meaningful momentum. While Cooper Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh attempted to counterattack with a flurry of boundaries, the visitors kept chipping away with crucial, timely breakthroughs.
The top-order collapse continued when Prabhsimran slashed at a wide Bhuvneshwar delivery, only to edge it straight to Padikkal in the slips. Things went from bad to worse for the hosts as skipper Shreyas Iyer also fell cheaply inside the Powerplay. Shortly after, a well-set Suryansh Shedge, who had reached 35 off 22 balls, threw away his wicket by hitting an innocuous delivery from spinner Suyash Sharma straight to long-off, where Kohli safely pocketed a sharp, flat catch.
Despite the tumbling wickets, Shashank single-handedly kept Punjab in the hunt with some incredibly bold hitting, which included smoking three massive sixes in a single over against Suyash. He found an able partner in Marcus Stoinis, who capitalized on a reprieve after being dropped by Jacob Bethell on 22, matching Shashank's aggression by finding the boundary at will. The dangerous partnership was eventually broken when Josh Hazlewood returned to the attack and trapped Stoinis for a 25-ball 37 with a full toss that the Australian failed to clear.
Shashank refused to throw in the towel, launching a brutal assault on Bhuvneshwar Kumar. After conceding a meager eight runs in his opening spell, the veteran Indian pacer was taken apart for 30 runs in his final two overs. However, with 33 runs needed off the final over, the mountain proved too high to climb, and Shashank’s brilliant lone crusade finally came to an end, sealing the playoff spot for Bengaluru.
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Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer's fifties in RCB's stunning win
Earlier, a spectacular unbeaten 73 from all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, combined with a fluent half-century from Virat Kohli, powered RCB to a massive total of 222/4. Playing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala, RCB recovered brilliantly from a slow start to set a formidable target in their 20 overs.
After being asked to bat first, RCB's opening pair of Kohli and Jacob Bethell adopted a cautious approach on a surface that offered early assistance to the bowlers, scraping together just 17 runs from the first two overs. Bethell looked particularly uncomfortable under the disciplined lines of the Punjab attack. Though he managed to break the shackles with a boundary in the third over, his struggle ended on the very next delivery when spinner Harpreet Brar clean-bowled him for 11 as the left-hander attempted another aggressive shot.
The momentum quickly shifted with the arrival of Devdutt Padikkal, who made his intentions clear by launching the first ball he faced for a massive six. Kohli fed off this aggression, welcoming Lockie Ferguson into the attack with a maximum in the next over. The duo skillfully balanced boundary-hitting with sharp running between the wickets, punishing anything short or wide to dismantle the bowling plans and guide RCB to a comfortable 61/1 by the end of the Powerplay.
Hoping to stem the flow of runs, Punjab Kings introduced veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, but the move proved costly as he leaked 21 runs in his opening over. The second-wicket partnership flourished to 76 runs before Brar once again turned breaker-in-chief. In the 10th over, Brar deceived a well-set Padikkal, dismissing him just five runs short of a well-deserved milestone. Padikkal departed after a fiery 45 off 25 balls, decorated with four boundaries and three sixes.
Unfazed by the dismissal, Kohli kept his foot on the accelerator. The iconic batsman reached his half-century off just 31 deliveries with a quick single in the 12th over. At the other end, Venkatesh Iyer initially struggled to find his timing but broke the shackles in the 14th over by targeting Brar for consecutive boundaries, followed by two towering maximums off Chahal in the next over. Chahal got his revenge on the final ball of that over, getting Kohli to miscue a shot to deep mid-wicket. Kohli walked back for a stellar 58 off 37 balls, an innings studded with four boundaries and three sixes.
Following Kohli's departure, Iyer took center stage alongside power-hitter Tim David. The left-handed all-rounder completely dominated the death overs, bringing up a 29-ball half-century by routinely capitalizing on Ferguson’s erratic lengths. Iyer finished with a superb, unbeaten 73 off 40 balls, laced with eight fours and four sixes. Supported by David’s explosive cameo of 28 runs from just 12 balls, RCB comfortably surged past the 220-run mark. For Punjab, Brar was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/35, while Chahal claimed the prized scalp of Kohli despite an expensive spell.
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