Punjab Kings (PBKS) lost their first match of IPL 2026 to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur. Despite this loss, PBKS remain at the top of the standings with 13 points from eight matches, while RR moved up to third place with 12 points from nine matches.
RR won the toss and chose to put PBKS to bat first. Priyansh Arya (29) and Prabhsimran Singh (59) started strongly for PBKS, scoring 37 runs in just 14 balls. Prabhsimran later formed a balanced partnership with Cooper Connolly, reaching his fourth half-century in the tournament.
Shreyas Iyer contributed 30 runs but was dismissed by Nandre Burger. Marcus Stoinis then took charge, hitting 62 runs unbeaten to help PBKS post 222/4.
In response, RR’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (51) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43) set a strong foundation with a 50-run partnership. However, Sooryavanshi fell short of a half-century, and Jaiswal paired with Dhruv Jurel to keep RR on track.
Jurel was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal, but RR’s middle-order batters Donovan Ferreira (52) and Shubham Dubey (31) ensured they chased down the target comfortably with four balls to spare.
Next, PBKS will face Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on 3 May, while RR will host Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on 1 May.