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IPL 2026 UPDATES: Punjab Kings vs RCB: Onus on Stoinis-Shedge to fight for PBKS

Sun, 17 May 2026

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18:25

Suyash hammered for runs

PBKS 86-4 (10 ovs) vs RCB 222-4 | Scorecard

Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya in the attack now and he gives six singles in the over.

Losing four wickets early have put Punjab on the backfoot.

Punjab need a huge partnership if they are to get anywhere near the target.

Suyash continues and Shedge and Stoinis take a single each off the first two balls.

Shedge then gets on his knee and sends the fuller ball over deep mid-wicket for a six!

Shedge then drives the ball down to sweeper cover and Kohli dives and keeps it down to two.

Shedge and Stoinis then take a single each as 12 come off it.

18:13

Connolly out for 37

PBKS 68-4 (8 ovs) vs RCB 222-4 | Scorecard

Stoinis is the new man in and he is off the mark with a couple to the off side.

A dot later, Stoinis opens the face and guides it past backward point to third man for a four as a wicket and 8 runs come off it.

Romario Shepherd is in the attack now and starts with a short ball that Connolly pulls it to backward square leg for a single.

Shedge then plays the ball to extra cover for a single.

Full and straight into the pads and Connolly flicks it straight to Bethell at backward square leg and he is out for 37 off 22 balls.

Leggie Suyash Sharma in the attack now and after four singles, Connolly latches on to the half tracker and pulls it over mid-wicket for a six!

Connolly ends the over with a single to backward point as 11 come off it.

18:03

Punjab lose early wickets

PBKS 49-3 (6 ovs) vs RCB 222-4 | Scorecard

Dar continues and after a dot, Connolly times the fuller and slower ball past mid-off for a four!

Connolly then plays two dots as Dar keeps it tight, angling it into the batter as he comes around the wicket.

Short ball next and Connolly gets the top edge and it flies over fine leg for a six!

Full and on the pads and Connolly drives it to mid-wicket for a single.11 come off the over.

Hazlewood is back in the attack and Connolly starts the over with a single.

A wide later, Shedge comes down to the leg side and smashes the cross seam ball over deep mid-wicket for a six!

A yorker is dug out by Shedge.

Shedge then sways away from the bouncer.

He then comes down the track and flashes at the ball as it flies over the keeper for a four.

Wide down the leg side next.

Shedge then plays the ball wide of third man for a couple as 15 come off it.

17:51

Shreyas removed by Dar for 1

PBKS 23-3 (4 ovs) vs RCB 222-4 | Scorecard

Suryansh Shedge is the new man in and after three dots, including a poke at one, Shedge ends the over with a four as he cuts the ball past point as a wicket and 4 come off it.

Padikkal has been subbed out and in comes Rasikh Dar.

Dar in the attack now and after a dot, Dar bowls a peach, he bowls in that channel. Back of length, just outside off, the ball straightens at the last. Shreyas is cemeted on the crease, is squared up and he gets a faint nick and is caught behind for 1.

Shreyas is the new man in and he is off the mark with a punch down the ground for a single as a wicket and just 3 runs come off it.

Bhuvi continues and after a dot, Prabhsimran and Connolly take a single each.

A dot later, ball shapes away, Prabhsimran goes for the big cut and it flies to slip, straight to Padikkal and he is out for 2. Punjab lose 2nd wicket.

17:39

Arya out for a duck; Connolly starts well

PBKS 16-1 (2 ovs) vs RCB 222-4 | Scorecard

Hazlewood opens at the other end and Prabhsimran is cramped for room on the cut and he gets a single.

A dot later, a short ball and Connolly cuts it past backward point for a four!

A dot later, Hazlewood misses his length and Connolly lofts the full ball over long on for a six!

Hazlewood then comes back nicely as Connolly is beaten on the defence. 11 come in the over.

Cooper Connolly is the new man in and he pushes the ball to mid-on, Shepherd misfields and the ball goes to the boundary.

Two dots to end the over as a wicket and 5 runs come off it.

Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimram Singh come out to chase 223 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar opens the attack for RCB.

And Arya plays and misses first ball, a wide later, Arya defends the next ball.

Bhuvi strikes next ball as Arya miscues the back of length ball only to pull it straight to mid-on and he is out for a duck.

17:24

Venky Iyer, Kohli hit 50s; Harpreet Brar picks 2 wickets

RCB 222-4 (20 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on fluent half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer to post a competitive 222 for 4 against Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League clash in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Kohli (58 off 37 balls) struck four boundaries and three sixes and stitched a 76-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (45) for the second wicket to lay the platform for RCB.

He then combined with Iyer (73 not out off 40 balls) in a 60-run third-wicket stand as table-toppers RCB delivered yet another authoritative batting display.

The left-handed Iyer turned particularly aggressive after Kohli's departure, blazing eight fours and four maximums as his explosive strike rate made crossing the 200-run mark look remarkably easy.

Jitesh Sharma is leading RCB in this game in the absence of Rajat Patidar.

Arshdeep is back in the attack and Venky starts the over with a single.

Arshdeep then bowls it wide down the leg side.

David then miscues the swipe over mid-wicket and he takes a single.

Venky then squeezes out the wide yorker to backward point for a single.

David then swings and flicks the ball over deep mid-wicket for a six!

David then smacks the ball over the bowler's head for a four as the ball is bowled in the slot!

Full toss and David pulls it one-handed to deep backward square and he is caught out for 28 off 12. David asks for a review for height and loses it as replays show it's a fair ball. RCB finish at 222 for 4 in their 20 overs.

Chahal has been subbed out by Impact Sub Marcus Stoinis.

Omarzai is back in the attack and David gets a couple to deep backward point.

David then swings the ball to mid-wicket for a single.

A dot next as Venky is beaten by the slower ball as he swings and misses.

Quicker ball next, Venky gets an edge and is caught behind. Bowler and keeper celebrate, umpire is unmoved. Shreyas reviews and the Ultra Edge shows no edge as the bat hits the ground on the way to the keeper and he survives.

Venky then plays the ball to sweeper cover for a single.

David then slaps the ball through cover point for a four as 8 come off it.

16:58

Batting at strike rate of over 200!

RCB 200-3 (18 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Arshdeep is back in the attack and David and Venky take a single each off the first two balls.

Arshdeep comes around the wicket, bowls it short and David pulls it hard and flat over mid-wicket for a six!

Angled in to David, who can only take a single to the leg side.

Arshdeep is back over the wicket, bowls a full toss on the pads and Venky flays it to backward square leg for a four to bring up RCB's 200, the 54th 200 score this season, more than any IPL season ever.

A dot to end the over as 13 come off it.

Ferguson is back in the attack and Venky starts the over with a single.

David then gets a single to mid-on.

Venky then gets to his 50 with a loft over long off for a six.

Venky then slaps the ball to long off for a four!

Slower ball next and Venky evades the bouncer. Wide called. Punjab review the wide and lose a review as the replays show it was over the batter's head.

A yorker next and Venky digs it out.

Venky then lofts the ball straight down the ground for a six as 19 come off it.

16:47

Kohli out for 57

RCB 168-3 (16 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Tim David is the new man in.

Omarzai is back in the attack. Venky starts the over with a single.

David is off the mark with a single.

A dot later, Venky gets back-to-back boundaries.

A single to end the over as 11 come off it.

Chahal continues and Kohli starts the over with a single.

Venky then flays the ball over deep square leg for a six to bring up the 50-run stand with Kohli.

A dot later, full and in the slot and Venky hammers it over long on for a six!

Venky then gets a single past point.

Flighted ball on middle and leg next, Kohli flicks the ball straight to deep mid-wicket and he is out for 58 off 37 balls. RCB lose the third. A wicket and 14 runs come off it.

16:36

Kohli, Venky stitching up a good stand

RCB 143-2 (14 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Harpreet Brar is back in the attack and Venky comes down the track and smashes it to long on for a four!

Venky then whips the next ball over mid-wicket for a four!

Venky and Kohli then take four singles as 12 come off the over.

Lockie Ferguson is back in the attack and after a dot, Venky gets a four thanks to a misfield by Arshdeep at mid-off.

Venky and Kohli then take a single each.

Venky then pulls the ball to cow corner for a single before Kohli ends the over with a four as he flicks the ball through mid-wicket for a four! 11 come off the over.

16:28

RCB continue to keep the runs flowing

RCB 120-2 (12 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Shashank is back in the attack and Kohli welcomes him with swivel pull over backward square leg for a six!

Kohli then drives the ball to sweeper cover for a couple.

Kohli then takes a single to mid-wicket.

Venky then drives the ball to long on for a single.

Kohli then brings up his 67th IPL 50 and his 4th this season with a single to long-off. A dot to end the over as 12 come off it.

Chahal is back in the attack and Kohli and Venky take three singles off the first five balls before Iyer reverse sweeps it over cover for a four as 7 come off it.

16:22

Padikkal out for 45

RCB 101-2 (10 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Venkatesh Iyer is the new mam in and he is off the mark with a single down the ground.

Kohli then takes a single to deep mid-wicket.

Venky then cuts the ball down to backward point for a couple.

Two dots to end the over as a wicket and 4 runs come off it.

Harpreet is back in the attack and strikes first ball. He bowls it short and wide, off pace ball and Padikkal cuts it straight to mid-wicket. Padikkal is out for 45 off 26. Harpreet strikes for his 2nd wicket.

Omarzai is back in the attack and Kohli starts the over with a single to long-off.

A dot later, Padikkal takes a single to mid-on.

Kohli then flicks his wrists and hits it wide of fine leg for a four!

A dot later, Kohli is beaten on the attempted cut as just 6 come off it.

16:11

Padikkal gives RCB innings the impetus

RCB 91-1 (8 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Medium pacer Shashank Singh in the attack now and Kohli and Padikkal start the over with three singles.

Full and wide and Padikkal squeezes it down to deep backward point for a couple.

Wide and back of length and Padikkal cuts it past short third and backward point for a four!

A dot to end the over as 9 come off it.

Chahal in the attack now, loopy ball and Padikkal comes down the track and lofts it over the bowler's head for a six to start the over positively.

Padikkal and Kohli then take three singles.

Kohli then pulls the ball and it bisects the long-on and deep mid-wicket fielders to go to the boundary.

Kohli then takes a single to long-off to end the over. But no ball called and Padikkal makes the most of the free-hit ball as he hammers the quicker, fuller ball over long-on for a six as 21 come off it!

16:00

RCB go past 60 inside Powerplay

RCB 61-1 (6 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Arshdeep is back in the attack, straightish ball. Kohli whips it over Connolly at mid-wicket for a four, to start the over.

Kohli then plays the ball to mid-off and scampers for a single.

Back of length ball next and Padikkal flicks it to deep square leg for a single.

Short ball and Kohli pulls it to deep square leg for a single.

Short and wide and Padikkal opens the face and cuts it hard past backward point for a four!

Padikkal then pulls the ball down to backward square leg for a single as 12 come off it.

Brar continues and Padikkal starts the over with a cut past backward point for a four.

A wide and dot later, Padikkal and Kohli take four singles as 9 come off the over.

15:52

Padikkal in good nick

RCB 40-1 (4 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Lockie Ferguson is in the attack now and Kohli welcomes him with flick over deep mid-wicket for a six!

Kohli then takes a single to mid-on.

A wide down the leg side next.

Padikkal then just glances the ball off his pads for a four.

A dot later, Padikkal taps the ball down and scampers for a single.

A mistimed shot to mid-off for a dot to end the over as 13 come off it.

Patidar is the new man in and he starts with a six first ball! Tossed up ball outside off, Padikkal reaches out, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it over deep extra cover.

Three dots to end the over as 10 runs and a wicket come off it.

Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar in the attack now and Bethell welcomes him with a cut through backward point for a four!

Bethell looks to cut again, too close to the body, he only manages to play it onto his stumps and he is out for 11 off 7.

15:43

Kohli, Bethell take on Omarzai

RCB 17-0 (2 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard

Azmatullah Omarzai is in the attack now and after a dot, Kohli lofts the ball over extra cover for the first six of the day!

A wide later, Kohli takes a single to point.

Bethell now gets his boundary as he inside edges the ball to fine leg for a lucky four.

A dot and a single to end the over as 13 come off it.

RCB openers Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell come out to bat while Arshdeep opens the attack for Punjab.

Bethell is on strike and he is off the mark in a flash, as he plays the good length ball towards backward point for a single.

Kohli then plays two dots as Arshdeep gets some bounce.

Kohli is then off the mark with a single to the off side off the inside edge.

Bethell and Kohli then take 2 singles as 4 come off it.

15:20

Jitesh stands in for unfit Patidar; RCB could book a playoffs spot with a win today

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Jitesh Sharma stands in for an injured Rajat Patidar today.

In the first of today's double header, and in Shreyas' 100th game as captain, Punjab will look to stop their slide against a confident RCB.

Both teams heave made two changes in their teams for today's encounter.

Punjab have two changes with Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson coming in while Suyash replaces Patidar and Romario replaces Duffy.

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Impact Substitutes:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan

Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey

Royal Challengers Bengaluru would look to exploit vulnerabilities of a profligate Punjab Kings bowling line up to seal a play-off berth in the IPL 2026 match in Dharamsala on Sunday.

In the only day game scheduled at the scenic Dharamsala stadium, the top draw without an iota doubt is Virat Kohli, fresh off a hundred in the previous game.

A sizeable number of fans have already made their way up to the mountains from Delhi and Punjab to see the larger than life Kohli bat in the breathtaking backdrop of Dhauladhar range. The limited infrastructure in place in the city is pushed to its limits.

Punjab Kings' Shocking Run

Defending champions, the only team which has maintained consistency throughout the tournament, are clear favourites against Punjab Kings, who are in a freefall having lost five games in a row after being the most dominant team in the first half of the tournament.

While RCB are sitting comfortable on the points table, a sixth loss for Punjab Kings would effectively shut the playoff door on the Shreyas Iyer-led side.

In both the games played here, Punjab Kings failed to defend 210 and 200 after failing to control the last five overs. In fact, they have lost the most the numbers of games (10) after posting 200 plus total in the format's history.

The team needs to rejig its bowling combination with the likes of Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen proving expensive throughout the tournament. Arshdeep Singh has managed to bring his economy rate under 10 with his frugal returns in the last game while Azmatullah Omarzai made instant impact with bat and ball in his first game of the season.

Vijaykumar Vyshak has been out of the side and perhaps the team goes back to him in search of much needed control in the middle and death overs.

The batting department, which has done well overall, is not firing on all cylinders in the last few games but it is the bowling that has let the team down repeatedly.

The pitch has offered seam movement thus far and was on the slower side in the MI-PBKS fixture.

RCB, on other hand, are playing like a well oiled machine. Kohli, at 37 years of age, continues to redefine consistency, having smashed a 60-ball 105 against KKR in Raipur.

Their pace department including Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will enjoy bowling on the Dharamsala given the conditions.

"We have played well in the tournament and I think everyone came in the different stage and doing [well] for the team. I think that's a great sign. And being at the top of the table, it's always a good thing. Good for the team. And as I said, we are taking just one game at a time, one step at a time," said captain Rajat Patidar.

With all the pressure on Punjab Kings, expect RCB to produce another clinical performance with majority of the fans cheering every run that Kohli scores in the opposition.

IPL 2026 UPDATES: Punjab Kings vs RCB: Onus on Stoinis-Shedge to fight for PBKS

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