Dharamshala, May 17 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became the first team to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs after defeating Punjab Kings by 23 runs in a high-scoring contest at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday.

Defending a massive total of 222/4, RCB produced a disciplined bowling effort led by Rasikh Salam Dar, who claimed three wickets, to restrict Punjab Kings to 199/8 despite a fighting half-century from Shashank Singh. The victory helped RCB move to 18 points from 13 matches and secure a place in the playoffs.

Punjab Kings endured a disastrous start to the chase as Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Priyansh Arya for a duck in the opening over. The experienced pacer struck again in his next over when Prabhsimran Singh edged a good-length delivery to first slip after scoring just two runs.

RCB tightened their grip further when impact substitute Rasikh Salam Dar dismissed Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer for one.

With wickets falling around him, Cooper Connolly launched a counterattack alongside Suryansh Shedge. Shedge took on Josh Hazlewood with a boundary and a six, while Connolly attacked Rasikh to help Punjab Kings recover to 49/3 at the end of the Power-play.

Connolly continued to play aggressively before Romario Shepherd provided the breakthrough in the eighth over. Attempting another big shot, Connolly was caught at deep square leg after scoring 37 off 22 balls, including three fours and three sixes.

Shedge then stitched together a useful partnership with Marcus Stoinis as the pair rebuilt the innings with regular boundaries and sensible strike rotation. However, RCB struck again when Virat Kohli completed a sharp catch at long-off to dismiss Shedge for 35 off 22 deliveries.

Punjab Kings still had hope with Stoinis at one end and Shashank Singh launching an aggressive assault at the other. Shashank changed the momentum of the chase by smashing three sixes in an over off Suyash Sharma before adding more boundaries to keep the required run rate under control.

Stoinis also shifted gears and struck consecutive boundaries against Rasikh as Punjab Kings reached 146/5 after 15 overs, needing 77 runs from the final five overs.

Shashank continued to fight hard and produced a stunning helicopter shot against Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the chase remained alive. However, Hazlewood delivered a crucial breakthrough in the 17th over by trapping Stoinis lbw for 37 off 25 balls.

Despite losing his partner, Shashank kept attacking and completed a rapid half-century in just 22 balls. But with little support from the other end, the required rate continued to climb.

RCB finally sealed the match in the final over when Rasikh dismissed Shashank, who was caught at long-on after a superb knock of 56 off 27 deliveries, featuring four boundaries and four sixes. Rasikh then picked up another wicket on the final ball as the Punjab Kings finished at 199/8.

Earlier, RCB posted 222/4 riding on an unbeaten 73 from Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli’s 58. Devdutt Padikkal also made an important contribution with a quickfire 45.

Asked to bat first, RCB managed only 17 runs in the first two overs as Kohli and Jacob Bethell took time to adjust to the conditions. Bethell struggled for timing and was eventually bowled by Harpreet Brar for 11 off seven balls.

Padikkal then shifted the momentum immediately by hitting a six off his first delivery. Kohli also joined the attack as the duo mixed aggressive strokeplay with smart strike rotation to keep the scoreboard moving quickly. Their partnership helped RCB reach 61/1 at the end of the Power-play.

Punjab Kings introduced Yuzvendra Chahal to slow the scoring rate, but the leg-spinner conceded 21 runs in his opening over. Kohli and Padikkal added 76 runs for the second wicket before Brar struck again, dismissing Padikkal for an entertaining 45 off 25 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.

Kohli continued to dominate and completed his fifty in just 31 deliveries. He later fell for 58 off 37 balls after being caught at deep mid-wicket off Chahal.

Venkatesh Iyer then took charge in the death overs. After a slow start, he accelerated brilliantly and completed his fifty off 29 balls. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 73 off 40 deliveries, smashing eight fours and four sixes. Tim David provided late support with a quick 28 off 12 balls as RCB crossed the 220-run mark.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 222/4 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 73*, Virat Kohli 58, Devdutt Padikkal 45; Harpreet Brar 2-35, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-42) beat Punjab Kings 199/8 in 20 overs (Shashank Singh 56, Cooper Connolly 37, Suryansh Shedge 35; Rasikh Salam Dar 3-36, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-38) by 23 runs.

–IANS

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