The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will travel from the eastern part of India to the northern part, as Punjab Kings (PBKS) will host Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala. The PBKS vs RCB game marks the end of Punjab Kings’ home matches and is a decisive game to secure a playoff spot.
Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have not met each other before this season. The meeting in Dharamshala will be their first clash of the season against the defending champions. However, it marks a clash between last season’s runners-up Punjab Kings and their final rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore. This match marks a win at all costs for Punjab Kings, who are in a do or die situation after five consecutive defeats.
IPL 2026: PBKS vs RCB Preview:
Punjab Kings made a very promising start to IPL 2026 as they remained undefeated midway through the competition, with six wins and one game against KKR which was abandoned due to rain. However, the momentum was broken when Punjab Kings lost five consecutive matches, as fielding and bowling have been a major concern in the latter stages of the tournament. However, a win tonight could help them seal a top 4 finish; Otherwise, the probability of PBKS will be very low.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on the other hand, have been dominating the league stage as they are currently aiming to score 20 points by the end of this season. RCB captain Rajat Patidar has led by example as the table toppers also aim to retain their position at the top of the points table. They will once again aim to finish in the top two to maximize their chances of reaching the final of the competition. However, this time they will be led by stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma.
Having played against each other 37 times in the history of the competition, Royal Challengers Bangalore have a slight advantage with 19 wins, while Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have managed to win on 18 occasions. With both high and low scoring trends, both the teams are being highly anticipated by the fans.
PBKS vs RCB Toss Result Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first. “We are going bowling. I’m not going to go into statistics; We are clearly watching how the games are going. If we bat and bowl well then the toss does not matter. I didn’t know it was my 100th game as captain, but I would be happy if we win,” said the PBKS skipper.
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), 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 Bethel, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (captain and wicketkeeper), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood.
PBKS vs RCB Impact Players Today IPL 2026 Match 61
Influential players of Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis, Vishnu Vinod, Xavier Bartlett, Musheer Khan and Praveen Dubey.
Influential players of Royal Challengers Bangalore: Rasikh Salaam, Jordan Cox, K Chauhan, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh,
Also read: No Virat Kohli! RCB announces new captain after Rajat Patidar ruled out of IPL 2026 vs PBKS match