IPL 2026: Venkatesh and Kohli scored half centuries, Bengaluru reached play-offs after defeating Punjab.

Hospice. With half-centuries from Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore became the first team to secure a place in the play-offs by defeating Punjab Kings by 23 runs in the Indian Premier League on Sunday. With the third consecutive win, Bengaluru team has 18 points in 13 matches and the team remains at the top. After the sixth consecutive defeat, the Punjab team is at fourth position with 13 points in 13 matches.

Chasing Royal Challengers Bangalore’s target of 223 runs, despite the half-century of Shashank Singh (56 runs, 27 balls, four sixes, four fours) and his sixth wicket partnership of 67 runs with Marcus Stoinis (37 runs, 25 balls, five fours), Punjab team could only score 199 runs for eight wickets. Cooper Connolly (37) and Suryansh Shedge (35) also played useful innings but could not lead the team to victory.

For Bengaluru, Rasik Salam took three wickets for 36 runs while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two wickets for 38 runs. The Bengaluru team scored 222 runs for four wickets with the partnership of Venkatesh (73 not out, 40 balls, eight fours, four sixes) with Kohli (58 runs, 37 balls, four fours, three sixes) and 65 runs for the fourth wicket with Tim David (28 runs in 12 balls, two sixes, two fours). Kohli provided a solid platform to the team by adding 76 for the second wicket with captain Devdutt Padikkal (45).

Harpreet Brar was the most successful bowler from Punjab, taking two wickets for 35 runs. Arshdeep Singh (one wicket for 43 runs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (one wicket for 42 runs) got one wicket each. Punjab Kings, who came to chase the target, had a bad start and the team lost the wickets of openers Priyansh Arya (00) and Prabhsimran Singh (02) and captain Shreyas Iyer (01) for 19 runs in the third over. Bhuvneshwar got Priyansh caught by Romario Shepherd at midwicket on the very third ball of the innings, while in the next over of this fast bowler, Prabhasimran also got caught by Padikkal in the slips.

Rasik gave the third blow to Punjab by getting Shreyas caught by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma on the very second ball of his innings. Connolly and Shedge took the team’s score to 49 runs for three wickets in the power play. Meanwhile, Connolly also hit sixes on Josh Hazlewood (one wicket for 36 runs) and Rasik. Connolly also hit a six on Suyash Sharma (one wicket for 50 runs) but after this, while trying to play a big shot on the ball of Shepherd (one wicket for eight runs), he was caught by Jacob Bethel at deep midwicket.

Facing 22 balls, he hit three sixes and the same number of fours. Shedge hit a six on Suyyash but then got caught by Kohli at long off on the ball of this leg spinner, due to which the team’s score became 93 runs for five wickets. He hit two sixes and two fours in his 22-ball innings. Punjab’s century of runs was completed in the 12th over.

Shashank tried to increase the run rate with three sixes off Suyyash. Bethel took the catch of Stoinis off the ball of Krunal Pandya while Shashank hit two fours in this over. Stoinis also hit two consecutive fours on Rasik. Punjab needed 77 runs to win in the last five overs. Shashank hit a six on Bhuvneshwar and Stoinis hit a four.

Hazlewood broke this partnership by LBWing Stoinis while only seven runs were scored in this over. Shashank completed his half-century in 22 balls with two fours on Bhuvneshwar. Punjab needed 40 runs in the last two overs but Hazlewood gave only seven runs in the 19th over. Rasik ensured Bengaluru’s victory by getting Shashank caught by Kohli at long off in the last over.

Earlier, Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl, after which Royal Challengers Bangalore made a cautious start by scoring 61 runs for one wicket in the power play. Bengaluru team lost the wicket of Bethel (11) in the third over itself, who was bowled by Harpreet. Padikkal hit a six on Harpreet as soon as he came, while Kohli also sent the balls of Azmatullah Omarzai and Lockie Ferguson to the audience.

Padikkal welcomed Chahal with two sixes while Kohli also hit a four on the leg spinner. When Padikkal was looking in good form, he played Harpreet’s ball straight into Iyer’s hands in the covers. Facing 25 balls, he hit four fours and three sixes. Bengaluru’s century of runs was completed in the 10th over. Kohli completed his fourth half-century of the current season in 31 balls with a six and one run off Shashank.

Venkatesh also hit two consecutive fours on Harpreet after hitting a four on Ferguson. Venkatesh took the team’s score beyond 150 runs with two sixes off Chahal in the 15th over, but in the same over, Kohli was caught by Priyansh at deep midwicket. Venkatesh hit two sixes and a four on Ferguson in the 17th over and during this he completed his first half-century of the season in 29 balls. In the next over, the team’s runs also completed a double century.