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Punjab Kings
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face each other in the 61st match of IPL 2026 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Both teams will enter this game after very different recent runs despite staying in the top four.
RCB will arrive as table toppers with 8 wins from 12 matches and a strong net run rate of 1.053. PBKS stand fourth with 6 wins and 4 losses, but they will come under pressure after losing 4 matches in a row.
RCB will take confidence from their recent form and their strong head-to-head record against PBKS. They have won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these sides.
Three of those matches have also been won while chasing, which will keep the toss important in Dharamsala conditions. PBKS will look to break their losing streak while RCB will aim to strengthen their position at the top of the table.
Both teams have aggressive top-order batters and multiple players striking above 165 this season, which can produce a high-scoring match with plenty of sixes in Dharamsala conditions.
The betting tip is...
Total Sixes - Over 22.5
65 %
35 %
Punjab KingsRoyal Challengers BengaluruPBKS rely heavily on their batting. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya provide strong starts regularly. Arya scored 342 runs at a strike rate of 226.49 and registered 3 fifties.
Prabhsimran scored 382 runs with 4 half-centuries, while captain Shreyas Iyer added 392 runs and 5 fifties. Cooper Connolly led the batting charts with 415 runs at a strike rate of 168.01. The middle order lacked major contributions as Marcus Stoinis remained the next best scorer with 179 runs at 188.42 strike rate.
Arshdeep Singh leads the bowling attack with 13 wickets in 11 matches, while Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up 9 wickets. Marco Jansen took 6 wickets, and Yuzvendra Chahal added 8 wickets. Xavier Bartlett has 5 wickets in 8 matches. The bowling attack struggled to pick wickets consistently, which forced the team to bring in Yash Thakur, Lockie Ferguson and Ben Dwarshuis recently.
Connolly, Iyer and Priyansh are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson/Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB depend heavily on their top and middle order this season. Jacob Bethell opened alongside Virat Kohli, who remains their best batter with 484 runs at a strike rate of 165.75. He scored 3 fifties and a century in the previous match.
Devdutt Padikkal adds stability at number three with 367 runs and 3 half-centuries. Rajat Patidar controls the middle overs aggressively and scored 337 runs at a strike rate of 192.57. Tim David has 234 runs at a strike rate of 193.38.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the bowling attack strongly with 22 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 7.46. Krunal Pandya has supported with 10 wickets in 12 games. Josh Hazlewood has 11 wickets in 9 matches and adds experience to the attack. Rasikh Salam and Suyash Sharma have contributed with 9 and 7 wickets respectively.
Kohli, Padikkal and Patidar are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma/Rasikh Salam, Josh Hazlewood
Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru both rely heavily on their batting strength. Both teams have aggressive top orders and multiple hitters capable of clearing the boundary consistently.
Virat Kohli, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Rajat Patidar have maintained high strike rates this season, while finishers like Tim David, Marcus Stoinis and Romario Shepherd add further firepower in the death overs.
RCB will start as slight favourites because of their recent form and stronger bowling attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Expect a high-scoring contest with both teams attacking throughout the innings and plenty of big hits being played.
