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In the 61st match of IPL 2026, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be pushing themselves for a playoff spot when they take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on May 17. PBKS are sitting fourth on the table with 13 points in their 12 matches; they need to win this match to keep their playoff hopes alive, while RCB are aiming to stay at the top of the tournament's leaderboard.

 

Punjab Kings

 

Punjab Kings' hopes of reaching the IPL 2026 playoffs were crushed by the Mumbai Indians after a humiliating 6-wicket loss. The hosts have 13 points from their 12 matches so far, and they are sitting in the fourth spot of the points table. They have two games remaining, and they will need to win both of them and rely on other teams for their qualifications. The Shreyas Iyer-led side began their campaign with six straight wins but have since lost five matches in a row. In the latest game against MI, PBKS yet again crossed the 200-run mark while batting first, but their bowling was disappointing, a lot and they were struggling for the wickets. Prabhsimran Singh bounced back in his form with a solid 57 at the top, while Azmatullah Omarzai added a quickfire 38 off just 17 balls in his first IPL 2026 match of the season. The biggest concern for Punjab remains their bowling attack. Not only pacers but spinners are also struggling for the wickets. 

 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

 

Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru chipped in back-to-back victories over the Mumbai Indians (MI) and then the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their latest fixture. The defending champions chased down a target of 193 against KKR with six wickets in hand. The legendary batter Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten century--his 9th IPL ton--while Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s brilliant bowling performances helped him move to the top of the wicket-taking charts. The defending champions are looking good in their rhythm, with their players peaking at the right time. 

 

PBKS vs RCB Match Details

 

PBKS vs RCB IPL Match Details
Match	PBKS vs RCB 61st T20 IPL Match
Date and Time	Sunday, May 17; 3:30 p.m. IST
Venue	HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
Broadcasting and live streaming	TV- Star Sports Network, Live Stream- JioHotstar

 

PBKS vs RCB Pitch Report

 

The pitch at Dharamsala traditionally offers good support to the pacers as the ball often swings early, making batting challenging in the initial few overs. The stadium offers small boundaries, which ultimately helps batters to score easy runs. Once the batter gets settled, then they can go berserk while targeting the easy deliveries and smaller areas. The average first innings total is likely to be around 180-190. 

 

PBKS vs RCB Weather Report

 

The weather in Dharamshala on Sunday afternoon is likely to be ideal conditions for this cricket game, with little to no humidity around and no rain predicted for this game. The temperatures are expected to be 21 degrees C. The cloud cover and interruption might help the swing bowlers upfront. Batters might find conditions tricky in powerplay overs. Conditions could remain uncertain throughout the afternoon.

 

PBKS vs RCB Head-to-Head Records

 

PBKS vs RCB head-to-head (in T20s)
Match Played	37
Won by Punjab Kings	18
Won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru	19
Tied	0
No Result	0

 

PBKS vs RCB  Probable XI

 

• Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Azmatullah Omarzai, Arshdeep Singh

 

         (Impact Players - Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan)

 

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Jacob Duffy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Venkatesh Iyer.

   

  (Impact Players - Jodan Cox, Devdutt Padikkal, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav)

 

Players To Watch Out For in the PBKS vs RCB IPL Match

 

• Prabhsimran Singh | PBKS: One of the best-performing players of the team is none other than Prabhsimran Singh. This right-arm wicketkeeper batter has scored 439 runs for PBKS this season in just 11 matches, and gives an aggressive approach during the powerplay overs. This 25-year-old batter will be coming into this game after smashing 57 runs off 32 deliveries against MI. He could be very important given the ground size at Dharamsala.

 

• Shreyas Iyer | PBKS: The PBKS skipper is currently leading the side from the front, scoring runs with his bat at a batting strike rate of 164. He has been rocking the tournament with his brilliant batting form, having scored 396 runs in 11 batting innings with an average of 49.5, including four half-centuries. 

 

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is in brilliant form this season, especially how this right-arm medium pacer is performing in the powerplay. He has been consistently taking regular wickets for the team. Overall this season, he has taken 22 wickets so far and is currently at the top of the highest wicket-taker list. 

 

• Virat Kohli | RCB: This right-handed batter demonstrated his batting prowess in the last match, where he smashed his ninth IPL century by scoring an unbeaten 105 runs off just 60 deliveries. He is someone who can provide momentum to his team during the powerplay overs with attacking gameplay. He has scored 484 runs in 12 IPL games so far at a batting strike rate of 165.5 and an average of 53.78. He will be a player to watch. 

 

PBKS vs RCB Toss Prediction

 

Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue

 

• In the 5 T20 matches played here, the toss-winning teams have opted to bowl on all five occasions.

 

Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch

 

• In the last 18 T20 matches played at this venue, it has been recorded that the team batting first has registered victory in 8 games, while teams batting second have won 8 matches as well. However, in the last five matches, the chasing teams have won four times.

 

PBKS vs RCB Today's Match Scenario

 

Scenario 1

 

• Toss Winner: PBKS (opts to bowl first)
• Power-Play Score: 50-55
• RCB Total: 185-210
• Match Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru

 

Scenario 2

 

• Toss Winner: RCB (opts to bowl first)
• Power-Play Score: 48-52
• PBKS Total: 170-190
• Match Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru

 

Who will win today's PBKS vs RCB IPL match?

 

While the Punjab Kings are badly struggling with their form lately, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru seem like the favourite team to register a win here. It is worth mentioning that RCB have won four out of the last five encounters against PBKS. The hosts desperately need a win here; they would be eager to break their winless streak and strengthen their playoff chances. However, RCB are in a strong position to pick up a win here.