The defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) puts the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) chances for the IPL 2026 play-offs in jeopardy. With today’s loss, the Shreyas Iyer-led team has secured a 6-match losing streak. They are yet to play another match in the group stage, and it will be a must-win contest for them.
PBKS, the runner-up of the IPL 2025 season, kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign in style, winning 7 consecutive matches. They were the table toppers without a single defeat. They were on the verge of qualification for the next round. From there, they are now on the brink of elimination. Have they already been disqualified from the title race?
Mathematically, the Punjab Kings still can make their way into the play-offs. But, because of the six defeats in 13 matches, they will have to keep an eye on the result of the other games as well as the race to the play-offs is still pretty open, with multiple teams remaining in contention.
Punjab’s next match will be against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 23 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, an away match, a must-win match. If PBKS are able to win the game, then they will have a total of 15 points; they have now 13 points.
“One win could put them in a trickier spot given the rush of teams heading towards 16,” as mentioned on the official website of the Indian Premier League.
RCB outplayed Punjab in all departments
In today’s match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played without their regular skipper Rajat Patidar. In place of Patidar, it was Venkatesh Iyer, who has mostly spent his time with the RCB in IPL 2026 warming the bench, who played a leading role against the Punjab Kings with the bat.
RCB scored 222 runs in 20 overs in exchange for 4 wickets, majorly supported by Venkatesh Iyer’s unbeaten 77, Virat Kohli’s 58, and Devdutt Padikkal’s 45-run knocks.
PBKS suffered early blows as they lost three top batters in the form of Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and captain Shreyas Iyer inside the powerplay. Punjab tried to fight back with their middle-order strength, and Shashank Singh scored a half-century in the process.
However, the effort made by the middle-order batters was not enough to claim the massive total set by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. As PBKS managed to claim 199 runs in 10 overs, RCB won the match by 23 runs.
Longest losing streaks for PBKS in the IPL.7 in 20156* in 20265 in 20115 in 20185 in 2020
Shreyas Iyer does not lose all hope yet
Despite the tight situation, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer does not want to lose all hope. After the match, Iyer stated that he is hoping to see a sunrise.
“I’m always positive irrespective of the results. It doesn’t dictate how my personality is, and I always approach with a strong attitude. I’m not someone who dwells too much in the past. 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,” Shreyas Iyer said.
Read More: "Really disappointed": Shreyas Iyer breaks silence after PBKS suffer sixth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026
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