Intro
Punjab Kings captain said his side lost the IPL 2026 clash against RCB after failing to take early wickets and losing momentum in the chase.
Dharamshala
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that the match slipped away in the powerplay as Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered an explosive start and maintained control to secure a 23-run win, sealing their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs. The high-scoring encounter at Dharamshala saw RCB post a commanding 222 for four before restricting PBKS to 199 for eight in their chase.
Iyer pointed to early setbacks as the decisive factor in the contest. He said Punjab Kings failed to capitalize on key moments with the ball and could not break RCB’s momentum during the initial overs, which allowed the opposition to build a strong foundation for a big total.
“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,” Iyer said.
The Punjab skipper also rued the early dismissals in the chase, noting that his side’s usual strong starts from Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya were missing in this game. He acknowledged his own early wicket as a further setback that disrupted the chase.
“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,” he added.
Despite the defeat, PBKS found some resistance through Shashank Singh’s brisk 56 off 27 balls and Marcus Stoinis’ 37 off 25 deliveries, but the target proved too steep.
RCB’s Venkatesh Iyer, who struck an unbeaten 73 off 40 balls and earned the Player of the Match award, said he was satisfied with making the most of his opportunities this season. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma praised his team’s composure, while veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar credited teamwork and rhythm for the victory that confirmed RCB’s playoff berth.
