PBKS vs RCB Prediction & Match Preview – IPL 2026, 61st Match
Match summary
Struggling Punjab Kings face in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala. Form, key players, pitch, weather and our verdict for IPL 2026 match 61.
Match details
| Match | Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 61st Match |
|---|---|
| Series | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Date | 17 May 2026 |
| Start time | 10:00 am GMT / 3:30 pm local |
| Venue | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala |
| Status | Played |
| Our pick | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Toss pick | Punjab Kings |
Matches in this series
Match preview
Punjab Kings opened IPL 2026 with six straight wins and sat on top of the table, but they have since lost five in a row. In the latest defeat to Mumbai Indians they passed 200 for the eighth time this season, with Prabhsimran Singh making 57 and Azmatullah Omarzai 38 off 17, yet their bowlers, notably Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett, gave away too many runs and Mumbai chased with six wickets in hand.
Their batting remains strong. Prabhsimran leads with 439 runs, Cooper Connolly has 437 including a century, and Priyansh Arya has 364 at a strike rate of 216.66. Shreyas Iyer, though, has made only 118 runs in the five defeats. Bowling is the bigger worry: no regular bowler has an economy under eight, Arshdeep Singh has 13 wickets and Yuzvendra Chahal nine.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are closing in on the playoffs after wins over Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, the latter a chase of 193 in which Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 105. That innings took him to 484 runs, made it his 10th T20 century and earned his 21st Player of the Match award. Devdutt Padikkal has 367 runs and Rajat Patidar 337 with 31 sixes. Bhuvneshwar Kumar holds the Purple Cap with 22 wickets, though RCB have often looked exposed in the powerplay. Our preview backs RCB.
Dharamsala is expected to be balanced, with the cool conditions and grassy surface offering the quicks extra bounce, pace and swing early on. Batters may need a few overs to settle but can then play freely, as the ball comes onto the bat and the outfield is quick. Spinners rarely get much turn here, so pacers often have more impact than slow bowlers.
This is an afternoon game, and Dharamsala is forecast to be pleasant, mostly sunny to partly cloudy, with temperatures around 26–28°C at the 3:30 pm local start. The chance of rain is very low, so a full match is expected. Light winds and the cooler hill-station air should make for comfortable conditions, and with the game played in daylight dew should have little effect.
Expected scores
| Innings | Predicted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| First innings | 180–195 | – |
| Second innings | 175–190 | – |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Punjab have lost five straight with a leaky attack, while RCB come in on a two-match winning run led by Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Toss pick: Punjab Kings
FAQ
Who is favoured in PBKS vs RCB?
Our preview picks Royal Challengers Bengaluru, given Punjab’s five-match losing run and concerns over their bowling.
What time does the match start?
The match is an afternoon fixture at 3:30 pm local time (10:00 am GMT) on 17 May 2026.
Will dew be a factor?
Unlikely. With an afternoon start, dew should have much less impact than in the usual evening games.
Probable XIs
Expected line-ups from our preview. c = captain, wk = wicketkeeper.
Punjab Kings
- Prabhsimran Singhwk
- Priyansh Arya
- Cooper Connolly
- Shreyas Iyerc
- Suryansh Shedge
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Shashank Singh
- Marco Jansen
- Ben Dwarshuis
- Arshdeep Singh
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Jacob Bethell
- Virat Kohli
- Rajat Patidarc
- Jitesh Sharmawk
- Tim David
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Rasikh Salam Dar
- Jacob Duffy
- Josh Hazlewood