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Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, IPLT20, Today Match Prediction
PBKS vs RCB Win Probability
Toss Winner - Punjab Kings won the toss and choose to bowl first
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 23 runs
Can Punjab Kings take revenge on the last final’s loss against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru?
- Virat Kohli scored an unbetaen century in the last game to enter the top three leading run-scorers.
- The Punjab Kings have five consecutive losses out of which four have come while defending the target.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore are unbetaen in the last three games against the Mumbai Indians.
We predict that the Royal Challengers Bangalore will defeat the Punjab Kings.
| Tournament: | Indian Premier League, 2026 |
| Format: | t20 |
| Venue: | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala, India |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bowl |
| Weather: | 27.9°C|Sunny |
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PBKS vs RCB Live Prediction
PBKS vs RCB Match Prediction & Analysis
It is the battle between the last season’s finalists. IPL 2025 finalists, Punjab Kings, will take on the IPL 2025 champions, Royal Challengers Bangalore, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on 16th May from 3:30 PM IST. While RCB has registered two wins in the last two games, PBKS are coming with five consecutive losses.
The Punjab Kings are currently in fourth place with 13 points. After remaining unbetaen in the first 7 games, they have now lost five games in a row. Four of these losses have come while defending the target. They have one of the most destructive batting lineups. PBKS have scored 200-plus runs in 8 of the 11 innings they have played. But they have also lost four of these in the last five occasions.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have cemented their place as the leaders of the points table with 16 points in 12 games. They are labelled as the chase masters as 6 of their 8 victories have come while batting second. Fortunately for them, Virat Kohli is back in form with a century after scoring consecutive ducks. A win over PBKS can secure them a ticket to the qualifier.
Both teams had last met in the finals of the last season. Virat Kohli’s 43 guided RCB to 190 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the first innings. Arshdeep Singh and Kyle Jamieson picked up three wickets each for Punjab. The heroic innings from Shashank Singh (61* off 30 balls) went in vain as PBKS lost the title by just 6 runs. This was RCB’s third consecutive win against PBKS in the 2025 season.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
PBKS
L
L
L
L
L
PBKS
235/4 in 20.0 11.75
202/7 in 20.0 10.1
RCB
W
W
L
L
W
RCB
194/4 in 19.1 10.12
192/4 in 20.0 9.6
167/8 in 20.0 8.35
166/7 in 20.0 8.3
158/6 in 15.5 9.98
155/10 in 19.2 8.02
75/10 in 16.3 4.55
77/1 in 6.3 11.85
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 7 Matches
Show More Show Less
101/10 in 14.1
106/2 in 10.0
95/9 in 14.0
98/5 in 12.1
181/10 in 17.0
241/7 in 20.0
178/6 in 19.2
176/6 in 20.0
150/10 in 18.2
IPL 2023
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 24 runs
174/4 in 20.0
TEAMS PREVIEW
Punjab Kings Preview
Punjab Kings lost the hold over the first place in the second half oc the IPL. After winning the first six, they lost the next five games. In their last game against the Mumbai Indians, they scored their eighth 200-plus score of the season. Prabhsimran Singh scored 57 runs at the top while Azmatullah Omarzai scored a quick 38-run knock in 17 balls. Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett conceded 14 runs per over to see their side losing the game by 6 wickets.
Priyansh Arya will open the innings with Prabhsimran Singh. Arya scored 22 runs in the last game. Arya has 364 runs in 11 games with a strike rate of 216.66 - the highest among the batters. He has hit 32 sixes. Prabhsimran is their leading run-scorer with 439 runs in 11 innings with five half-centuries. He scored 57 runs in the last game. He can be the batter to watch out for. Cooper Connolly with 437 runs at an average of 49. The left-handed batter has hit a century and 2 half centuries.
After scoring 4 half-centuries in the first six games, Shreyas Iyer has lost his touch. He has 118 runs in PBKS’ last five losses with just one half-century. Against RCB, Iyer has a poor track record. He has scored 16 runs in the last 4 games played against them. He will come in the middle with Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, and Suryansh Shedge. Omarzai scored 38 off 17 in the last game and picked up 2 wickets with the ball. Shedge has 114 runs in the last 5 games
Their key concern is the bowling unit's lack of support. The bowlers have claimed just 50% of the wickets in 11 games, and none have an economy below 8. Arshdeep Singh will be their key bowler. He has 13 wickets in 12 games. Chahal has picked up just 9 wickets in 10 innings. Marco Jansen’s poor form has continued, with just 6 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 65.
Why can PBKS win this game?
PBKS have the most reliable batting unit. They have scored 200-plus runs in 8 of the 11 innings. Just like RCB, they are the ultimate chasers. They have chased 200-plus scores on three occasions. The top 5 have hit 117 sixes in 11 innings. Though the bowlers are not shining well for PBKS, they can overcome the shortcomings if they chase the target.
Key Players: Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Cooper Connolly.
PBKS Over/Under Betting Tips
Shreyas Iyer Total Runs Over 28.5 @ 1.85
Shreyas Iyer has struggled a bit in the second half of the tournament where he has scores of 4, 59, 5, 19 and 30 in the last five matches. He is one player who loves challenges and always performs in crucial league stage matches. With his team in desperate need of a win, expect Iyer to step up and deliver with the bat.
Priyansh Arya Total Runs Over 23.5 @ 1.85
Priyansh Arya has scores of 22, 56, 1, 2 and 29 in the last five matches he has played. He is in good touch this season and has scored runs consistently at the top of the order. With this being a must win match for the Kings, we back Priyansh to step up and provide a quick fire start.
Punjab Kings Predicted Playing XI:
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab Kings Key Players From Previous Game Of Indian Premier League, 2026
Punjab Kings Actual Playing XI:
Azmatullah Omarzai, Cooper Connolly, Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview
The defending champions are almost on the verge of securing a spot in the qualifiers. In the last two games, they had beaten the Mumbai Indians by 2 wickets and the KKR by 6 wickets, respectively. In their last game against KKR, they chased 193 runs with 6 wickets in hand. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (21 wickets) took the Purple cap from Rabada
Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli will be opening the innings. Bethell has just 85 runs in 6 games. But his place is secured with Phil Salt’s injury. Kohli showed why he is the King in the last game. He remained unbetaen on 105 runs to climb to the third spot in the runs table with 484 runs. He became the first Indian to score 10 T20 centuries. He also became the quickest batter to score 14000 runs (409 innings) while clinching the 21st player of the match award. He will be the batter to watch out for.
Devdutt Paddikal will come in at number three. Kohli and Paddikal registered their 10th fifty-plus stand in successful IPL chases. With 37 runs in the last game, Paddikal now has 367 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 172. Rajat Patidar will come in the middle with Tim David and Krunal Pandya. Patidar has scored 337 runs in 11 innings with 31 sixes - the highest among the batters. Tim David has 234 runs so far at a strike rate of 193. Pandya scored a half-century in KKR’s win over the Mumbai Indians. He was the player of the match in the IPL 2025 final against PBKS.
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has 22 wickets in 12 games at an economy of 7.55 - the lowest amongst the bowlers. He is currently the purple cup holder. He can be the bowler to watch out for. Josh Hazelwood and Krunal Pandya have 11 & 10 wickets each. Besides this, they have Rasik Dhar and Jacob Duffy, who have picked up 15 wickets in 8 games. Except for Kumar, the bowlers have not proven their worth as the opponents are finding it easy to put a 50-run stand in the powerplay.
Why can the RCB win this game?
Devdutt Paddikal and Kohli have scored 1035 runs in 14 successful IPL chases with 4 century stands. They have beaten PBKS on the last five occasions. Kohli and Paddikal are not taking any risk and have hit 91 fours and 38 sixes in this season. They will go for the win to secure the spot in the knockouts.
Key Players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
RCB Over/Under Betting Tips
Virat Kohli Total Runs Over 33.5 @ 1.85
Virat Kohli scored a match winning hundred in the last match against KKR, taking RCB one win closer to a top two spot and he will be up against his favourite opponent in Punjab Kings. Kohli has always scored match winning knock against the Kings, where he has amassed 1159 runs in 36 matches against them averaging 36.22. At Dharamshala he averages 51.5 scoring 103 runs in 2 matches.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted Playing XI:
Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Key Players From Previous Game Of Indian Premier League, 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Actual Playing XI:
Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
It is a batting-friendly pitch. In the last 3 IPL games played here, the teams have scored 200-plus runs in five innings.
The weather in Dharmashala is expected to be sunny and hot on match day, with temperatures ranging from 26 to 38 degrees Celsius. Winds will blow from the southeast at 6-10 km/h.
PBKS vs RCB Pitch Report
Pitch Condition
Batting Conditions
Pace Bowling
Spin Bowling
The match will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on 17th May from 3:30 PM IST. The average first innings score is 135, 8 more than the second innings.
Total Over/Under Betting Tips
Punjab Kings to win the Coin Toss @ 1.90
We back Punjab Kings to win the coin toss in today's match against RCB.
Toss: To Bowl
The team winning the toss would bowl first. In 11 international games played here, the target has been defended on 7 occasions. With both teams being the run-chasers (RCB - 6 victories, PBKS 4 victories), they will look to bowl first.
PBKS vs RCB
Winning Prediction
Virat Kohli loves to play against PBKS. He has more than 200 runs in the last five games played against PBKS. RCB are unbeaten against PBKS in the last three games. On the other hand, PBKS will be low on hope after seeing five losses. Their underperforming bowling unit will haunt them against RCB. The unit has failed to defend 200 runs in four of the last 5 occasions.
We predict that the Royal Challengers Bangalore will defeat the Punjab Kings.
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