PBKS IPL 2026 PLAYOFFS QUALIFICATION SCENARIO: HOW CAN PUNJAB QUALIFY AFTER 5 DEFEATS

PBKS Playoffs qualification scenario, IPL 2026: Punjab have suffered five consecutive losses. (CREIMAS)

PBKS IPL 2026 Playoffs qualfication scenario: Punjab were on a phenomenal run since the start of the season, bossing the park with an unbeaten run of seven consecutive matches before losing five matches.

IPL 2026 Playoffs qualification scenario: Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings have endured a terrible patch of bad form right in the middle of their IPL 2026 campaign. PBKS’ staggering freefall has now extended to five successive defeats after a loss to Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala on Thursday night.

After a wobbly batting effort that still ushered them to a 200-run total, Punjab floundered in defence as Mumbai snatched a rare win during their poor season. Already eliminated from the Playoffs race, Mumbai have put Punjab under great pressure now to pull themselves through to the Playoffs.

Punjab’s move to their second base in Dharamsala has coincided with two losses now, the previous one occurring by 33 runs during a steep 236-run chase against SunRisers Hyderabad a few nights ago.

PBKS IPL 2026 Playoffs qualification scenario

Punjab were on a phenomenal run since the start of the season, with Iyer and Co. bossing the park with an unbeaten run of seven consecutive matches. However, things changed drastically as they went on to drop the next five matches.

Having ceded the top spot over the last two weeks, Punjab are stranded on 13 points from 12 games, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of them.

Punjab’s next two matches are against RCB and Lucknow Super Giants, who are already eliminated from the Playoffs race.

If they manage to win both games, Punjab could finish at 17 points and be secured of a top-four finish as only two other teams can be in contention to surpass the mark then. If they slip-up in either of the two remaining matches and earn only one win, Punjab will be all but out of contention as they will finish on 15 points. RCB and Gujarat Titans have already reached 16 points with SRH, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals also in the race to reach 16 points.

Punjab will have their task cut out, but can still rest easy believing that their fate still lies in their own hands.

PBKS remaining matches

PBKS vs RCB, May 17, 3:30 PM IST – Dharamsala

LSG vs PBKS, May 23, 7:30 PM IST – Lucknow

- The Indian Express 

HOLDER STARTS AS GUJRAT TITANS RESTRICT PUNJAB KINGS AND SEAL 4-WICKET WIN IN AHMEDABAD

Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada had set it up for the Titans after they opted to bowl first

Gujarat Titans all-rounder Jason Holder rocked the Punjab Kings with his medium pace bowling, claiming 4/24 in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
PTI

When an aggressive batting line-up like that of Punjab Kings gets restricted to hitting only seven sixes in their innings, it goes on to reflect how well their opponents bowled. The Gujarat Titans bowlers, led by seamer all-rounder Jason Holder (4/24), deserve all the credit for limiting the Kings to 163/9, laying the foundation for their four-wicket victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The Ahmedabad pitch aided strokeplay and also had purchase for the quicks, keeping them in the game right through.

The likes of Arshdeep Singh, Impact Player Vijaykumar Vyshak and Marco Jansen took the contest closer with their respective strikes, before Washington Sundar (40 not out off 23 balls) sealed the game for the Titans off with a six as Marcus Stoinis failed to execute his yorker off the penultimate delivery.

After Arshdeep had Holder holing out at the deep, the Titans needed 11 off the final over. But Stoinis began with a wide and got his execution wrong as the Titans reached home with a ball to spare, registering their third straight victory. For the Kings, this was the second consecutive loss.

For the Titans, Sai Sudharsan (57 off 41 balls) was their top scorer.

Penetration at its best

Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada had set it up for the Titans after they opted to bowl first. The duo reduced the Kings to 35/3 in the Powerplay and then Holder’s arrival led to the departure of both Impact Player Nehal Wadhera and Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer in the ninth over.

Wadhera and Shreyas were both bamboozled by length and a bit of movement.

Right through his spells, Holder, looking to make a comeback in Test cricket, focused on the back-of-a-length stuff and also looked to shape the ball in towards the right-handers.

It was only when Holder and the other quicks were away that Suryansh Shedge (57 off 29 balls) and Stoinis tried to maximise the scoring opportunities during their 79-run sixth-wicket stand. Shedge alone smashed five of the seven sixes in the Kings innings on way to his maiden IPL fifty.

But, given the damage caused earlier by Holder, it was extremely tough for the Kings to stage much of a recovery.

- The Telegraph India

SIRYAVANSHI HELPS LOWLY RAJASTAN SIGN OFF ON A HIGH WITH A SIX-WICKET WIN OVER CHENAI

Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Suryavanshi celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings in New Delhi on Tuesday. Associated Press

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit a half-century as Rajasthan Royals (RR) ended their IPL season with a consolation six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday.

The 14-year-old Suryavanshi, who made waves after he struck a record 35-ball century last month, hit 57 off 33 balls as Rajasthan chased down 188 with 17 balls to spare in New Delhi.

Suryavanshi, who announced himself on the IPL stage in emphatic style by launching his first ball in the competition for six, set up the chase in his knock laced with four fours and fours sixes.

Dhruv Jurel sealed the win with his unbeaten 31 off 12 balls.

Both the teams had already bowed out of the play-off race but Rajasthan stay above bottom-placed Chennai in the 10-team table with four wins in 14 matches.

Five-time champions Chennai, led by 43-year-old MS Dhoni, have one more match to go in the league phase.

Leaders Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings have qualified for the playoffs.

Five-time winners Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are competing for the final play-off spot.

Chennai had their chances including when veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck in the space of five balls to send back skipper Sanju Samson (41) and Suryavanshi.

Jurel soon eased the pressure with boundaries in the next over and despite the loss of another wicket in Riyan Parag, Rajasthan raced to victory.

Jurel hit the winning six with Shimron Hetmyer at the other end on 12.

Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed with 36 off 19 balls in a brisk opening stand of 37 with Suryavanshi.

Chennai recovered to reach 187-8 after they slipped to 78-5 inside eight overs, batting first on a hot and humid evening in the Indian capital.

Teenage opener Ayush Mhatre lifted the team after two early wickets with his 20-ball 43 before his dismissal triggered a mini-collapse.

The 17-year-old Mhatre, who has impressed in his debut year with a top score of 94, hit eight fours and one six before falling to medium-pace bowler Tushar Deshpande.

Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took down Ashwin and seam bowler Yudhvir Singh struck for the third time to send back Ravindra Jadeja as Rajasthan lost half their side in 7.4 overs.

South African batter Dewald Brevis made 42 and rebuilt the innings in a 59-run stand with Shivam Dube (39).

Rajasthan’s bowlers pulled things back in the end as they gave away just 17 runs from the last three overs.

Ahmedabad to host IPL final on June 3: Ahmedabad will host the IPL final on June 3, organisers said on Tuesday in their revised schedule for the tournament which was briefly suspended due to armed conflict between India and Pakistan.

The IPL was halted on May 9 and resumed on Saturday following a ceasefire. However, the restart match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

Ahmedabad will host the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium after staging qualifier two on June 1. The first qualifier (May 29) and the eliminator (May 30) will be held at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh.

The playoffs, initially slated for Hyderabad and Kolkata, have been relocated due to adverse weather conditions in the southern part of India.

RCB’s final home fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has been moved to Lucknow where they will also play their final away game against Lucknow Super Giants.

Agencies

Brief Scores:

Chennai Super Kings 187/8 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 43, Dewald Brevis 42; Akash Madhwal 3-29, Yudhvir Singh Charak 3-47) lost to Rajasthan Royals 188/4 in 17.1 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 57, Sanju Samson 41; Ravichandran Ashwin 2-41, Anshul Kamboj 1-2) by six wickets

- Gulf Today 

GUJATAT CAPTAIN GILL DELIGHTED TO SEAL IPL PLAYOFF SPOT

Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill was pleased that his side had booked their place in the Indian Premier League playoffs with a 10-wicket win over Delhi on Sunday but said it was important not to ease up in the final two regular-season games.

Chasing 200 in Delhi, openers Sai Sudharsan (108 not out) and Gill (93 not out) powered the 2022 champions to victory in 19 overs for the highest successful chase without the loss of a wicket in IPL history.

Gujarat became the third team to qualify for the next round after Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings. The top four teams at the end of the regular season make the playoffs.

"It's a great feeling to secure qualification, but we still have two key games ahead and it's important to carry momentum into the playoffs," said Gill.

"As a captain, I try to think like a batter while I'm out there. Last year taught me a lot, especially how to manage the game in the backend."

While Gujarat have booked their place in the playoffs there is still a lot riding on their final two games, with a top-two spot in the standings offering two chances to reach the final.

Gujarat top the table on 18 points, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings both just one point behind.

Mumbai Indians (14 points) and Delhi (13 points) meet on Wednesday in a potential eliminator while Lucknow Super Giants, on 10 points, are still in the running as they have three matches left to play.

The IPL said on Monday that Bengaluru had picked Zimbabwean Blessing Muzarabani to replace South African seamer Lungi Ngidi, who has to join up with the national team.

Kolkata Knight Riders, who have already been eliminated, have signed leg spinner Shivam Shukla as a replacement for Rovman Powell with the West Indies all rounder scheduled for a tonsils operation.

- Reuters