New Chandigarh, April 29: In the 40th match of IPL 2026, Punjab Kings (PBKS) faced a 6-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Following this first loss of the season, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that the team’s bowlers did not perform as expected.
After the match, Iyer stated, “222 is a fantastic score. It was an extraordinary performance on a challenging pitch. We did not bowl well in this match. This format allows many players to change the game. It all comes down to execution. Today was not our day. It is essential to focus on the things we are doing well. The body was a bit fatigued, but that cannot be an excuse. This is our first loss of the season, and it will teach us a lot. We just need to put this defeat behind us. Looking back, there were many opportunities.”
Punjab Kings batted first, scoring 222 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs. Prabhsimran Singh excelled with the bat, scoring 59 runs off 44 balls, including 6 fours and 1 six. Marcus Stoinis contributed significantly as well, remaining unbeaten with 62 runs off just 22 balls, hitting 4 fours and 6 sixes. Captain Shreyas Iyer added 30 runs, while Priyansh Arya chipped in with 29 runs.
Rajasthan Royals chased down the target of 223 runs in just 19.2 overs, losing 4 wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 51 runs off 27 balls, hitting 7 fours and 1 six. Vaibhav SuryaVanshi made a quick 43 runs off 16 balls. Donovan Ferreira dazzled with a blistering 52 runs off only 26 balls, maintaining a strike rate of 200. Shubham Dubey finished the match with an unbeaten 31 runs off 12 balls. Ferreira and Shubham formed an unbroken partnership of 77 runs for the fifth wicket in just 32 balls, leading RR to victory.
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