Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered a statement performance against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday, securing a 23-run victory and becoming the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. The defending champions also climbed to the top of the league table with the crucial win.
However, it was not just the on-field action that grabbed attention. Soon after the match, RCB took a cheeky dig at PBKS on social media with the post, “Masterclass 101: What not to tweet.”
https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2056012972766707960
The message was seen as a response to Punjab Kings’ earlier post from April 28, when PBKS had tweeted “49/1 (4.3 overs)” during a match against Delhi Capitals, indirectly mocking RCB’s infamous total of 49, still the lowest score in the IPL history, recorded against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017.
https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2055989849119957146
On the field, RCB produced a complete performance after being asked to bat first. Virat Kohli once again led from the front with a fluent 58 off 37 balls. Young opener Jacob Bethell failed to make an impact and was dismissed for 11 runs by Harpreet Brar.
Devdutt Padikkal then steadied the innings with an aggressive knock of 43 off 25 deliveries before falling to Harpreet Brar. Virat Kohli continued the charge and brought up another half-century before being dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal.
The late assault came from Venkatesh Iyer, who smashed an unbeaten 73 off just 40 balls. Tim David added the finishing touches with a quickfire 28 off 12 deliveries as RCB posted a massive 222/4.
Chasing 223, Punjab Kings never truly looked in control. Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck early by removing Priyansh Arya in the opening over, immediately putting PBKS under pressure.
With the required run rate already above 11 runs per over, PBKS batters were forced to attack from the beginning. Cooper Connolly and Prabhsimran Singh tried to counterattack, while Cooper Connolly and Marcus Stoinis both contributed 37 runs each. Suryansh Shedge scored 35, but it was Shashank Singh who fought the hardest with a blazing 56 off just 27 balls.
RCB’s disciplined bowling attack, however, ensured PBKS never built sustained momentum. Rasikh Salam starred with three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up two. Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma and Romario Shepherd chipped in with one wicket each as PBKS were restricted to 199/8.
The defeat marked Punjab Kings’ sixth straight loss after an impressive start to the IPL 2026, where they had gone unbeaten in their first seven games.
The online community also reacted soon on the results of this match and majority of them trolled PBKS, here are few selected reactions:
https://x.com/RCBTweets/status/2056009613800296456
https://x.com/kajalbharti21/status/2056046687282671744
https://x.com/HailSeven7/status/2056026830122221897
https://x.com/YarashiSatish/status/2056152816528576899
https://x.com/VibeDesiDaily/status/2056013897166180696
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HIhudAUaMAAzkyB.jpg
https://x.com/bet_helll/status/2056014243397509490
https://x.com/mutualstark/status/2055993416811720811
https://x.com/aaraam_pasand/status/2056021397902942481
Which team are you supporting in the IPL 2026?
