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Punjab Kings (PBKS) suffered their sixth straight defeat of IPL 2026 as they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, second left, and Rasikh Dar, center, celebrates after their team won the match against Punjab Kings during the Indian Premier League cricket match in Dharamshala, India, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)Punjab Kings (PBKS) suffered yet another defeat in IPL 2026, this time at the hands of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Dharamsala on Sunday.
This is the Shreyas Iyer-led side's sixth straight loss, and it leaves them staring at the possibility of being eliminated from the league stage. Punjab Kings, who were runners-up in IPL 2025, were considered dark horses at the start of the ongoing season.
They began IPL 2026 with six wins in the first seven matches (One no-result), but have gone onto lose their next six matches.
Punjab Kings remain in fourth place in the IPL 2026 with 13 points from as many matches, and they will mostly face a do-or-die situation in their next match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on 23 May.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on the other hand, qualified for the playoffs as they now remain on top of the IPL 2026 standings with 18 points from 13 matches.
IPL 2026 updated points table after PBKS vs RCB
| 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 | 8 | -0.701 |
Let's now take a look at Punjab Kings' chances of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs.
Can Punjab Kings still qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs?
Yes. Punjab Kings can still qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. However, fate is out of their hands now, as even a win may not assure them of a playoff spot. Should Punjab Kings beat Lucknow Super Giants next week, they will have 15 points from 14 matches.
However, with Rajasthan Royals (Fifth place, 12 points) and Chennai Super Kings (Sixth place, 12 points) also in the race for the playoffs, Punjab Kings will have to beat Lucknow Super Giants by a huge margin. Rajasthan Royals still have three matches remaining, whereas Chennai Super Kings have two matches left.
Punjab Kings' safest bet is that both Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings lose their remaining matches, but that is easier said than done. The least Punjab Kings can expect is that Rajasthan Royals lose two out of their remaining three matches.
Should the Riyan Parag-led side win their remaining two matches, they will get 16 points from 14 matches and knock the Shreyas Iyer-led side out.
Similarly, CSK will also need to lose at least one out of the two remaining matches. Should CSK win both their matches, then they will have 16 points and knock Punjab Kings out.
Should Punjab Kings win their last league stage match, they will also need Sunrisers Hyderabad to slip up. The Pat Cummins-led side are in third place with 14 points from 12 games, and can get to a maximum of 18 points.
Gujarat Titans (Third place, 16 points) also have a similar possibility. They are in second place with 16 points from 13 matches, and a win over Chennai Super Kings will take them to 18 points.
Kolkata Knight Riders are also still alive in the race for playoffs. They are in seventh place with 11 points from 12 matches, and two more wins will take them to 15 points, which will lead to a tie-breaker with Punjab Kings should they beat Lucknow Super Giants.
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