The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will travel from the eastern part of India towards the northern part, as the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be hosting the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala. The PBKS vs RCB game marks the end to Punjab Kings' home matches and is a decisive game for securing a playoff spot.
Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have not met each other previously this season. This meeting at Dharamshala would mark their first clash of the season against the defending champions. However, this marks a clash between the Punjab Kings, the runners-up from last season, and their opponents in the final, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The encounter marks a must-win game for the Punjab Kings, who are in a do-or-die stage after five consecutive losses.
IPL 2026: PBKS vs RCB Preview:
Punjab Kings started off IPL 2026 on a very promising note as they were undefeated midway through the competition, with six wins and a game against KKR that was washed out due to rain. However, the momentum fell apart when Punjab Kings lost five matches in a row, as the fielding and bowling have been a massive concern in these later stages of the tournament. However, a win tonight can help them finish within the top 4; otherwise, PBKS' chances would be very slim.
On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had their dominance in the league stage, as they are currently aiming for 20 points by the end of this season. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar has led by example as the table toppers also aim to retain their spot at the top of the points table. They would once again aim to finish in the top two to maximize their chances of making it to the finals of the competition. However, this time they will be led by stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma.
Having played 37 times against each other in the history of the competition, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a slight advantage with 19 wins, while, on the other hand, the Punjab Kings have managed to win on 18 occasions. With both high and low scoring trends, the two teams continue to be highly anticipated by fans.
PBKS vs RCB Toss Result Today IPL 2026 Match 61
The Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first. "We're going to bowl. I'm not going by the stats; we're clearly seeing how the games pan out. if we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn't matter. I didn't know that it was my 100th game as captain, but I'll be happy if we win," said the PBKS skipper.
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB Playing XI vs PBKS Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (c & w), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood
PBKS vs RCB Impact Players Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Punjab Kings Impact Players: Marcus Stoinis, Vishnu Vinod, Xavier Bartlett, Musheer Khan, and Praveen Dubey.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Players: Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, K Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh,
