The high-altitude, scenic Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium is all set to host the high-stakes rematch of last year’s final. Punjab Kings (PBKS) lock horns with the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)In the 61st Match IPL 2026 on sunday.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for both sides. Table-toppers RCB enter the competition with 16 points from 12 games and need just one solitary win to officially secure their spot in the IPL 2026 play-offs. on the back side, Shreyas IyerThe Punjab Kings find themselves on thin ice. After an exceptional undefeated streak in its first six matches, PBKS experienced a dramatic slump, losing five consecutive matches. A must-win for them tonight to keep their playoff ambitions alive. However, the biggest talking point ahead of the first ball was the sudden absence of RCB’s regular captain and middle-order linchpin. Rajat Patidar.
Why is Rajat Patidar not playing in today’s match against PBKS?
The defending champions suffered a major pre-match jolt when regular captain Rajat Patidar was ruled out of the crucial game due to a concussion injury. Patidar, who has been in excellent form this season with 326 runs and 195 innings, did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala and missed the team’s pre-match training sessions.
A keeper-batterer in his absence Jitesh Sharma He was promoted to the captaincy of the Bengaluru franchise. Speaking during the toss, team captain Jitesh Sharma shed light on Patidar’s status and the team’s mindset:
“We would have loved to bowl first but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is fantastic and we must see him in Hyderabad. We are at the end of the tournament and I am happy with how the team performed both individually and as a unit. Yes, we are very happy that the team looks so stable at the moment. We do our best in every department. A win tonight secures our spot in the playoffs, so it’s a big game for us. At this stage, every game is important. This win could change the whole table – not just for us, but for several other teams as well. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy.”
On the other side of the coin, it’s a remarkable evening for Punjab Kings skipper Iyer, who is playing in his 100th IPL match as captain. Iyer, who won the toss and chose to field first, remained focused despite the opportunity:
“We go to the bowl. I’m not going by the statistics, we clearly see how the games turn out. If we bat well, it doesn’t matter if we bowl. I had no idea it was my 100th game as captain, but it feels great. Winning my 100th game (as captain) feels like a great opportunity for me. The bowling was fantastic, but there are moments where you have to execute, so you can’t change the past or predict the future. Beauty is staying in the moment and seeing the moment and enjoying the pressure. Two changes for us: (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) come in.“
RCB brought in a dynamic spinner to manage the structural change Suyash Sharma Dynamic versatility while balancing the bowling department Romario Shepherd replaces Jacob Duffy in the playing squad.
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Playing XI and Batting Subs of both Teams
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (XI Game): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar KumarJosh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.
Effect Substitutes: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan.
Punjab Kings (XI Game): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Effect Substitutes: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey.
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