In the 61st match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore has defeated Punjab Kings by 23 runs. This is RCB’s 9th win this season. With the win against Punjab, RCB qualified for the playoffs. RCB is the first team to reach the playoffs of IPL 2026. This is the sixth defeat of Punjab Kings this season. Now it has become very difficult for them to reach the playoffs.

With half-centuries from Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli, RCB became the first team to secure a place in the playoffs by defeating Punjab Kings by 23 runs in IPL 2026. With the third consecutive win, RCB team has 18 points in 13 matches and the team remains on top. After the sixth consecutive defeat, Punjab team is in fourth place with 13 points in 13 matches. Now it has become very difficult for them to make it to the playoffs.

Punjab Kings had a very bad start

Royal Challengers Bangalore, who came to bat first after losing the toss, scored 222 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Punjab Kings team could score only 199 runs. With Punjab’s defeat, the race for the playoffs has become quite interesting. Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals have got huge benefits from Punjab’s defeat. Talking about this match, Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played important roles in RCB’s victory.

While chasing the target of 223 runs, Punjab Kings once again did not have a good start. Priyansh Arya returned to the pavilion without opening his account. He was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Then Prabhasimran Singh was out with him after scoring two runs in five balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also sent him to the pavilion. Immediately after this, captain Shreyas Iyer departed after scoring one run in three balls. He was dismissed by Rasikh Dar Salaam.

Shashank Singh fought but could not win

When three wickets fell for 19 runs, now good performance was expected from the middle order. Cooper Connolly scored 37 runs in 22 balls and Suryansh Shedge scored 35 runs in 22 balls. Whereas Marcus Stoinis scored 37 runs in 25 balls, but no one could play as per the required run rate. Punjab lost wickets at regular intervals, which became the biggest reason for the defeat.

Shashank Singh played an inning of 56 runs in 27 balls for Punjab Kings. Four fours and four sixes came from his bat, but he could only reduce the margin of defeat. Azmatullah Umarzai returned unbeaten on 14 runs in 10 balls. Punjab could not score runs quickly in the last overs.

For RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 2 wickets and Rasikh Dar Salaam took three wickets. Earlier, Royal Bengaluru team had scored 222 runs for four wickets due to the strong innings of Venkatesh Iyer (73 not out, 40 balls, eight fours, four sixes) and Virat Kohli (58 runs, 37 balls, four fours, three sixes).

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In the 61st match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have given a target of 223 runs to Punjab Kings (PBKS) after playing first. Once again Punjab players did bad fielding, of which RCB took full advantage. For the 9th time this season, Punjab Kings have scored more than 200 runs. Whereas in IPL 2026, a score of more than 200 has been made for the 53rd time. RCB put 222 runs on the board for 4 wickets in 20 overs.

Virat Kohli played a brilliant inning of 58 runs for RCB. He hit four fours and three sixes. Whereas Venkatesh Iyer scored unbeaten 73 runs in 40 balls. He hit 8 fours and 4 sixes. Devdutt Padikkal scored 45 runs. Whereas Tim David played an innings of 28 runs in 12 balls.

Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first. Bengaluru team lost the wicket of Jacob Bethel (11) in the third over itself. Devdutt Padikkal hit a six on Harpreet as soon as he came, while Kohli also sent the balls of Azmatullah Omarzai and Lockie Ferguson to the audience. In this way, RCB made a steady start by scoring 61 runs for one wicket in the powerplay.

Padikkal welcomed Chahal with two sixes while Kohli also hit a four on the leg spinner. However, when Padikkal was looking in good form, he played Harpreet’s ball straight into the hands of Iyer in the covers. Facing 25 balls, he hit four fours and three sixes.

Bengaluru’s century of runs was completed in the 10th over. Kohli completed his fourth half-century of the current season in 31 balls with a six and one run on Shashank Singh. Venkatesh also hit two consecutive fours on Harpreet after hitting a four on Ferguson. Venkatesh took the team’s score beyond 150 runs with two sixes off Chahal in the 15th over, but in the same over, Kohli was caught by Priyansh Arya at deep midwicket.

Venkatesh hit two sixes and a four on Ferguson in the 17th over and during this he completed his first half-century of the season in 29 balls. In the next over, the team’s runs also completed a double century.