Dharamsala, May 17 (IANS) Punjab Kings (RCB) have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the match number 61 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar is not taking part in the match, while wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma is leading the side in his absence. Suyash Sharma is replacing Patidar, while Romario Shepherd replaces Jacob Duffy.

Punjab Kings have made two changes in their side as Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson are back in the playing XI.

After winning the toss, Shreyas Iyer said We’re going to bowl. “I’m not going by the stats; we’re clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn’t matter. I seriously had no clue that this was my 100th game as a captain, but it feels great. It feels like a great opportunity for me to win my 100th game (as captain).”

“The bowling has been fantastic, but there are pressure moments where you need to execute, and so you can’t change the past, nor can you anticipate the future. The beauty is to stay in the moment, see the moment, and enjoy the pressure. Two changes for us (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) come in,” he added.

While after losing the toss, RCB skipper Jitesh Sharma said, We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic, and we should see him in Hyderabad. We are at the business end of the tournament, and I’m happy with how the team is performing, both individually and as a unit.”

“Yes, we are very pleased that the team looks so stable right now. We are giving our absolute best in every department. One win tonight secures our spot in the playoffs, so it’s a massive game for us. Absolutely, every game is important at this stage. This win can change the entire table—not just for us, but for several other teams as well.. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy,” he added.

Punjab began their campaign in dominant fashion, winning six of their opening seven matches and emerging as one of the strongest sides in the tournament. However, their momentum has faded in recent weeks, with Shreyas Iyre’s men suffering five consecutive defeats. As the playoff battle heats up, PBKS will be desperate to halt the slide and strengthen their chances of securing a top-four finish. PBKS are currently placed at fourth position in the points table with 13 points in 12 matches.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been one of the best teams in IPL 2026, winning eight of their 12 matches so far. They are almost through to the playoffs and will now look to secure a top-two finish with a win against the Kings. RCB are coming into this match with confidence after beating the Kolkata Knight Riders, thanks to a brilliant century from Virat Kohli.

Playing XIs

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Substitutes: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey, Musheer Khan

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkat, Jitesh Sharma(C & WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood

Impact Substitutes: Rasikh Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kaushik Chauhan

–IANS

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