Cricket News

RCB One Win Away From Playoffs As Punjab Kings Face Must-Win Test

Siyan Sethi

17/05/2026 · 2 min read

Contents

1 Punjab Kings Face Must-Win Clash Against RCB

Punjab Kings Face Must-Win Clash Against RCB

Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign has taken a dramatic downturn, with a five-game losing streak leaving their playoff hopes fragile. They face RCB, who are just one victory away from becoming the first team to secure a playoff berth this season.

PBKS vs RCB Match 61- Preview

Punjab Kings and RCB will lock horns against each other on Sunday, May 17 in Match 61 of IPL 2026. The big-ticket clash will take place at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala and will go live for fans at 3:30 PM IST.

Punjab Kings’ Bowling Is Their Biggest Enemy This Season

Punjab Kings’ bowling has been their biggest enemy this season. Whenever they have relied on their bowlers, they have struggled more often than not. Even in their wins, the bowling unit has been a problem.

Chasing totals has been Punjab Kings’ strength, as their batting has been nothing short of extraordinary. However, whenever they have been asked to defend totals, Punjab Kings have lost four out of five matches, highlighting the critical gap in their bowling.

RCB’s Chasing Strength and Virat Kohli’s Batting Mantra

RCB has relied heavily on Virat Kohli, who needs to stay longer at the crease for the team to succeed. In all four losses this season, Kohli was dismissed inside the powerplay, playing fewer than 30 balls in each match.

READ: Sangakkara calls out Sam Curran for skipping IPL 2026; backs BCCI’s strong measures

By contrast, in six of their eight wins, he survived the powerplay, giving RCB’s destructive middle-order the perfect entry point. That unit has struck at a league-high 167.55, the second-best strike rate in IPL 2026, underlining the importance of Kohli’s role.

What To Expect?

Punjab Kings badly need a win to stay alive in the playoff race and should back themselves to get the job done this time. RCB has been very strong overall, with Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar standing out as their key performers.

However, both have been kept quiet in away games, and other big names, such as Josh Hazlewood, have not thrived as consistently in away matches. Chasing has generally been easier at this venue.

The surface has showed some dual pace characteristics for pacers with conditions easing out for the team batting second. So, the toss could play a significant role, as both teams have struggled with the ball while defending totals this season.

Siyan Sethi

Siyan Sethi is a senior cricket correspondent for The Telegraph India, widely regarded as one of the freshest and most thoughtful voices covering women's cricket in the country. A graduate of Chennai's M.O.P. Vaishnav College, she began her career reporting on college and university women's tournaments before transitioning to the national beat. Siyan follows the Indian women's team at every ICC event and has been a constant presence through the transformative early years of the Women's Premier League. Her writing is known for combining sharp tactical observation—particularly around the rise of power‑hitting and athletic fielding—with a deep commitment to tracking the grassroots pathways that bring young girls from small‑town academies into the professional game. Siyan also contributes comparative pieces on global T20 leagues such as The Hundred and the WBBL, placing Indian developments in an international context. A RedInk Award recipient, she is committed to challenging gender biases in sports media and creating space for the next generation of female cricket storytellers.