ipl 2026 [WATCH]: Venkatesh Iyer brings up his half-century with victory-inspired celebration during PBKS vs RCB clash

Dharamshala’s high-altitude natural beauty sets the stage for a high-stakes thriller Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) locked horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 61st match of ipl 2026 On Sunday. With a place in the playoffs assured, the evening promised plenty of drama, and it delivered. While the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium provided a stunning backdrop, the real fireworks happened on the pitch, courtesy a blistering batting performance from RCB that left the opposition searching for answers.

Venkatesh Iyer celebrates iconic victory after scoring half-century against PBKS

with regular main base Rajat Patidar Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are out due to injury, needed someone to step up and strengthen the middle order. Venkatesh Iyer He did exactly that, coming in at number 4 and performing aggressively in T20 batting. This left-handed batsman was looking in tremendous form from the very beginning and completely dominated the bowling attack of Punjab Kings. He scored unbeaten 73 runs in just 40 balls, with the help of eight fours and four skyscraper sixes, taking RCB’s total score beyond 220 runs.

However, it was not just his explosive batting that made headlines. Reaching his blistering fifty in 29 balls, Venkatesh celebrated the milestone by replicating the famous pose created by Thalapathy Vijay in his blockbuster film Mersal. The tribute paid to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and star actor instantly sent social media into shock. Video clips of the gesture went viral within minutes, with fans praising the cricketer’s talent and pointing out uncanny similarities to the actor’s screen presence. Iyer’s innings ultimately earned him player of the match honours.

Here is the video:

Also read: Fans went wild as Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive innings took RCB into the IPL 2026 playoffs with a crucial win over PBKS.

RCB enters IPL 2026 playoffs after stunning win over PBKS

Inspired by Iyer’s talent and brilliant half-century Virat Kohli (58 off 37 balls), with an important cameo Devdutt Padikkal (45 off 25 balls), RCB posted a mammoth score of 222/4 in the allotted 20 overs. Harpreet Brar He was the best bowler for Punjab, taking two wickets for 35 runs, but the rest of the attack had to face the Bengaluru attack.

Chasing a tough target of 223 runs, Punjab Kings’ top order collapsed under early pressure. experienced fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar Gold strike by getting out in the very first over Priyansh Arya For a duck and was later removed Prabhsimran Singh Just 2 runs to finish. Rasikh Salaam Destroyed the middle order with an extraordinary spell and took three important wickets for 36 runs.

Despite strong counter-attacks Shashank SinghWho played a brilliant inning of 56 runs in 27 balls and made a useful contribution. cooper connolly (37) And marcus stoinis (37), PBKS consistently fell short of the required run rate. Bengaluru’s disciplined bowling restricted Punjab to 199/8 at the end of 20 overs. Pulling off a clinical 23-run win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru officially punched their ticket to the IPL 2026 playoffs, keeping their championship dreams alive.

See also: Harpreet Brar gave aggressive farewell to Jacob Bethel and Devdutt Padikkal after striking crucial strikes in the PBKS vs RCB clash.