IPL 2026 Playoffs: Punjab Kings faced Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their 13th group stage match, losing by 23 runs. Chasing a challenging target of 222 runs in Dharamshala, the hosts managed 199 runs for eight wickets.

This marked their sixth straight home defeat this season. However, they stand fourth in the points table with 13 points from 13 matches.

IPL 2026 points table after PBKS vs RCB match on May 17

POSITION TEAM MATCHES WINS DEFEATS NO RESULT POINTS NRR
1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Q) 13 9 4 0 18 1.065
2. Gujarat Titans 13 8 5 0 16 0.400
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad 12 7 5 0 14 0.331
4. Punjab Kings 13 6 6 1 13 0.227
5. Rajasthan Royals 11 6 5 0 12 0.082
6. Chennai Super Kings 12 6 6 0 12 0.027
7. Kolkata Knight Riders 12 5 6 1 11 -0.038
8. Delhi Capitals 12 5 7 0 10 -0.993
9. Mumbai Indians (E) 12 4 8 0 8 -0.504
10. Lucknow Super Giants (E) 12 4 8 0 6 0.701

Though in the top four after 61 group stage matches, the Shreyas Iyer-led side may still miss a final top-four position.

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If Riyan Parag’s team defeats Delhi Capitals on Sunday, PBKS will drop to fifth, then potentially sixth if Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side beats SRH on Monday.

Conversely, if RR and CSK both lose their matches, Punjab Kings will remain in fourth place in the points table.

Despite losing six consecutive matches, the Punjab-based team still retains a chance to qualify for the playoffs.

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They can secure a top-four spot if they defeat the Rishabh Pant-led side in their last group-stage match and no more than three teams reach 15 points.

If Punjab Kings lose their final group stage match, they will be eliminated from playoff contention.

RCB 1st team to qualify for playoffs

After defeating Punjab in Dharamshala, the Jitesh Sharma-led side has qualified for the playoffs. They are the first team this season to do so and could finish in the top two by beating the Pat Cummins-led team in their last group stage match.