Punjab Kings suffered a massive setback in the IPL 2026 Playoffs race as they slumped to their sixth consecutive loss on Sunday. PBKS were completely outplayed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the Shreyas Iyer-led side lost by 23 runs in Dharamsala. Batting first, Venkatesh Iyer was the top scorer with an unbeaten 73 while Virat Kohli slammed a fiery half-century as RCB posted a competitive total of 222/4 in 20 overs. In response, Rasikh Salam Dar took three wickets and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two as PBKS managed to score 199/8. Following the match, PBKS head coach was visibly disappointed in the dressing room while skipper Shreyas Iyer was seen having a serious discussion on the field with co-owner Preity Zinta.
Seeing Preity Zinta man and Shreyas this sad really hurts
— Shreyass Eraa (@IyerShreyass) May 17, 2026
Shreyas Iyer admitted that his side lost their IPL match in the powerplay after an explosive start by Royal Challengers Bengaluru and early setbacks in a daunting chase of 223.
“Obviously, they got off to a great start and then started taking on the bowlers right after the powerplay. I think getting to 222 was a commendable performance and we weren’t able to take wickets in the bowling that much, but yeah, I think the match was lost in the powerplay,” Shreyas said after the match.
The PBKS captain rued the early wickets in the chase, especially after the great starts the team had received consistently from Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya through the season.
“We were three down and the majority of our run scorers were Prabhsimran and Priyansh. The starts they used to give us in the powerplay, obviously we couldn’t get this time and also me coming in and getting out early. Really disappointed, but commendable performance by Shashank and Stoinis and also a few others in the middle,” he said.
Shashank Singh blasted a 27-ball 56, while Marcus Stoinis made 37 in 25 as PBKS ended at 199 for eight after RCB posted 222 for four.
Despite the loss, Shreyas remained optimistic ahead of Punjab’s next game against Lucknow Super Giants.
“I’m always positive irrespective of the results. This is over, this is gone. Tomorrow again I’m going to see the sunrise and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” he added.
(WIth PTI inputs)
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