Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 23 runs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on 17 May to become the first team to confirm a playoff place in IPL 2026. Virat Kohli was central to the win, both for his batting and for the energy he brought on the field.
Kohli sets the tone
Kohli was animated throughout, geeing up team-mates, celebrating wickets emphatically and taking part in field changes and discussions. After RCB were asked to bat, he built the innings with a fluent 58 off 37 balls, including four fours and three sixes, at a strike rate of 156.76. His knock gave stability after an early loss.
Iyer’s unbeaten knock
Venkatesh Iyer backed him up with an unbeaten 73 off 40 balls, hitting eight fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 182.50. Together they took RCB to 222 for 4. Harpreet Brar was Punjab’s best bowler with 2 for 35.
Punjab fall short
RCB’s bowlers struck regularly in the powerplay, and Punjab never fully recovered despite a counter-attacking 56 off 27 balls from Shashank Singh, which had four fours and four sixes. Rasikh Salam Dar took 3 for 36 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed two key wickets. Punjab finished on 199 for 8.
The result confirms RCB’s place in the playoffs and strengthens their claim as title contenders.
