The high-altitude, picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Affiliation (HPCA) Stadium is all set to host a high-stakes rematch of final yr’s last. Punjab Kings (PBKS) lock horns with the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in Match 61 of IPL 2026 on Sunday.
The stakes couldn’t be greater for both aspect. Desk-toppers RCB enter the competition with 16 factors from 12 video games, needing only one solitary victory to formally safe their spot within the IPL 2026 playoffs. On the flip aspect, Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings discover themselves on skinny ice. After an distinctive unbeaten run of their first six matches, PBKS have suffered a dramatic stoop, shedding 5 consecutive matches. For them, tonight is a definitive must-win affair to maintain their playoff ambitions respiratory. Nonetheless, the largest speaking level forward of the primary ball was the sudden absence of RCB’s common skipper and middle-order linchpin, Rajat Patidar.
Why Rajat Patidar is just not enjoying in opposition to PBKS in right now’s match?
The defending champions suffered an enormous pre-match jolt when common captain Rajat Patidar was dominated out of the essential fixture on account of a concussion damage. Patidar, who has been in blistering type this season with 326 runs at a strike charge of 195, didn’t journey with the squad to Dharamsala and missed the workforce’s pre-match apply periods.
In his absence, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has stepped as much as captain the Bengaluru franchise. Talking on the toss, stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma make clear Patidar’s standing and the workforce’s mindset:
“We’d have beloved to bowl first, however the wicket is sweet and will play effectively for 40 overs. Rajat is doing improbable and we must always see him in Hyderabad. We’re on the enterprise finish of the match, and I’m pleased with how the workforce is performing, each individually and as a unit. Sure, we’re more than happy that the workforce seems so steady proper now. We’re giving our very best in each division. One win tonight secures our spot within the playoffs, so it’s an enormous sport for us. Each sport is essential at this stage. This win can change all the desk – not only for us, however for a number of different groups as effectively. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy.”
On the opposite aspect of the coin, it’s a landmark night for Punjab Kings’ skipper Iyer, who’s strolling out for his one hundredth IPL match as captain. Successful the toss and opting to area first, Iyer targeted on staying grounded regardless of the event:
“We’re going to bowl. I’m not going by the stats, we’re clearly seeing how the video games pan out. If we bat and bowl effectively, the toss doesn’t matter. I critically had no clue that this was my one hundredth sport as a captain however it feels nice. It seems like a terrific alternative for me to win my one hundredth sport (as captain). The bowling has been improbable, however there are strain moments the place it is advisable execute and so you’ll be able to’t change the previous, nor you’ll be able to’t anticipate the long run. The sweetness is to remain within the second and see the second and benefit from the strain. Two modifications for us: (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) are available in.”
To deal with the structural shift, RCB introduced in dynamic spinner Suyash Sharma to steadiness the bowling division whereas dynamic all-rounder Romario Shepherd replaces Jacob Duffy within the enjoying squad.
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Taking part in XI and Affect Substitutes of Each Groups
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Taking part in XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.
Affect Substitutes: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan.
Punjab Kings (Taking part in XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Affect Substitutes: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey.
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