Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl against Punjab Kings  Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 61st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which is taking place at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Jitesh Sharma is leading RCB because regular captain Rajat Patidar has missed out. Rajat Sharma is unwell for the selection, but Jitesh confirmed that he will again be seen leading the franchise in their next outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). 

PBKS vs RCB head-to-head

RCB and PBKS have faced each other 37 times in the IPL. Out of these, RCB have won 19 matches, while PBKS have secured 18 victories. Their last outing against each other came in the IPL 2025 final, where the Bengaluru-based franchise defeated PBKS by six runs to win their maiden title.

Captains at toss

Jitesh Sharma - We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic and we should see him in Hyderabad. We are at the business end of the tournament, and I’m happy with how the team is performing, both individually and as an unit. Yes, we are very pleased that the team looks so stable right now. We are giving our absolute best in every department. One win tonight secures our spot in the playoffs, so it’s a massive game for us. Every game is important at this stage. This win can change the entire table - not just for us, but for several other teams as well. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy.


Shreyas Iyer - We're going to bowl. I'm not going by the stats, we're clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn't matter. I seriously had no clue that this was my 100th game as a captain but it feels great. It feels like a great opportunity for me to win my 100th game (as captain). The bowling has been fantastic, but there are pressure moments where you need to execute and so you can't change the past, nor you can't anticipate the future. The beauty is to stay in the moment and see the moment and enjoy the pressure. Two changes for us (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) come in.

PBKS vs RCB playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal