RCB Vs PBKS IPL 2026 | RCB Qualify For The Play-Offs As Punjab Slumps To 6th Straight Defeat

Royal Challengers Bengaluru held their nerve and survived a late onslaught to edge out Punjab Kings by 23 runs to become the first team to secure an IPL playoffs berth with an all-round performance on Sunday. Asked to bat first, RCB produced a strong batting performance to post 222 for four in their 20 overs, built around key contributions from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer. Kohli struck a fluent 58 off 37 deliveries, setting the tone at the top, while Devdutt Padikkal added 45 as the duo stitched together a 76-run stand for the second wicket. The innings gained further momentum in the middle and death overs as Venkatesh Iyer played a dominant hand, finishing unbeaten on 73 off 40 balls. His late acceleration ensured RCB closed well beyond the 220-mark. Punjab Kings’ response got off to a disastrous start, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar striking early to remove both openers, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, in quick succession. Rasikh Salam further dented the chase by dismissing skipper Shreyas Iyer for just one, leaving Punjab reeling at 19 for three inside the first few overs. Despite the early collapse, Punjab attempted to rebuild through middle and lower-order resistance with Shashank scoring a brisk 56 off 27 balls and Stoinis contributing 37 off 25, but the towering RCB total ultimately proved far beyond PBKS' reach. Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with figures of 2 for 38, while Rasikh Salam impressed with 3 for 36, including the key wicket of Shreyas Iyer.