The Punjab Kings are enjoying an incredible season. They remain entirely undefeated after playing seven matches, sitting comfortably at the absolute top of the table. Their opening pair has been terrifying, their captain has led from the front, and they look like the team to beat in IPL 2026. But streaks are meant to be broken, and the Rajasthan Royals possess the exact tools needed to pull off a massive upset.
Rajasthan exploded out of the gates with a rollicking start to their campaign, but their form has dipped recently with three losses in their last four games. Despite slipping to third place, they have the batting firepower and, crucially, the fast bowling attack to finally crack the Punjab Kings code. Jofra Archer has been spectacular with the new ball, claiming 13 wickets. Alongside Nandre Burger, this duo provides extreme pace, aggression, and bounce. They are exactly the kind of bowlers who can make life miserable for Punjab’s high-flying openers.
The Rajasthan Royals have historically held the edge in this rivalry. In the last ten matches between these two franchises, Rajasthan has claimed six victories, while the Punjab Kings have won four times. With the odds on offer making this a risk worth taking, we are backing the Royals to hand Punjab their first defeat of the season.
PBKS vs RR Win Probability
PBKS vs RR Match Details
| Match | Indian Premier League 2026, 40th Match |
| Date | Tuesday, 28 April 2026 |
| Time | 07:30 PM (IST) |
| Venue | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh |
| Live Streaming (TV) | Star Sports Network |
| Live Streaming (Mobile) | JioHotstar |
PBKS vs RR Team Form – Who Will Win Today’s Match?
Punjab Kings
Punjab’s recent form reads NR, W, W, W, W, with an unbeaten start to the season. Their key strength is an explosive top order. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have formed a terrifying opening pair, recently bludgeoning 126 runs in just over six overs against Delhi. Captain Shreyas Iyer has led from the front with four half-centuries in six innings. However, their bowling is a glaring weakness. They have conceded 195 or more runs in five different games, with all their main bowlers leaking over nine runs per over. The psychological challenge is maintaining their unbeaten streak against a team with the pace attack to expose their vulnerabilities.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan’s recent form reads W, L, L, W, L, with three losses in their last four games. Their key strength is a batting lineup in fantastic shape. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in spectacular form, recently smashing a breathtaking century. Yashasvi Jaiswal remains a key pillar at the top. Dhruv Jurel has compiled three half-centuries in his last seven innings. The biggest factor, however, is their pace attack. Jofra Archer has been spectacular with 13 wickets. Alongside Nandre Burger, this duo provides extreme pace, aggression, and bounce. Their psychological edge is their historical head-to-head advantage (six wins in last ten meetings).
PBKS vs RR Probable Playing XI
Punjab Kings Probable XI-
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Shashank Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak.
Impact Player: Nehal Wadhera / Harpreet Brar.
Rajasthan Royals Probable XI-
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi.
Impact Player: Brijesh Sharma / Sandeep Sharma.
PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head Record
| Last 10 Matches | |
| PBKS Won | 04 |
| RR Won | 06 |
| Draw/NR/Tie | 00 |
PBKS vs RR Pitch Report
The pitch at the Mullanpur Stadium is an absolute batting paradise. The average first-innings score across the three matches played here this season sits at a massive 213 runs. The surface features an even covering of green grass, and because the venue hasn’t hosted a game in over a week, fans should expect a fresh, hard wicket.
This fresh pitch will offer some early swing and bounce for the fast bowlers which perfectly suits Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger with the new ball. However, once batters survive the initial spell, they will find timing the ball incredibly easy.
PBKS vs RR Weather Report
The weather in Chandigarh is expected to remain cloudy but completely dry, with comfortable temperatures sitting just under 30 degrees Celsius. No rain is forecast.
PBKS vs RR Toss Prediction
In all three matches played at the Mullanpur Stadium this season, the captain winning the toss has elected to field first. We firmly expect this trend to continue, with the toss winner looking to chase on a highly favorable batting surface under the lights.
PBKS vs RR Match Prediction
This is a clash between an unbeaten team with a glaring weakness and a struggling team with the exact tools to exploit it.
Punjab Kings are unbeaten and sitting at the absolute top of the table. Their opening pair is terrifying, Prabhsimran and Arya recently bludgeoned 126 runs in just over six overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer has four half-centuries in six innings. But their bowling is a massive concern—they have conceded 195 or more runs in five different games. If their top order finally has an off day, their expensive bowling unit will be placed under massive pressure.
Rajasthan Royals batting is in fantastic shape, Sooryavanshi recently smashed a century, and Jurel has three half-centuries in his last seven innings. Their fast bowling is the ultimate weapon,Jofra Archer has 13 wickets, and alongside Nandre Burger, they provide extreme pace, aggression, and bounce. They are exactly the kind of bowlers who can make life miserable for Punjab’s high-flying openers. The spin duo of Bishnoi and Jadeja has 17 combined wickets to keep things tight in the middle overs.
The key battle will be Rajasthan’s pace attack against Punjab’s explosive openers. If Archer and Burger strike early, they can completely derail the Punjab innings. If Prabhsimran and Arya survive the new ball, Punjab could post another daunting total.
Rajasthan possesses the ultimate weapon to stop Punjab: extreme pace. The odds on offer make this a risk worth taking. Back the Royals to hand Punjab their first defeat of the season.
We predict that Rajasthan Royals will win this match.
PBKS vs RR Dream11 Team
- Wicketkeeper- Prabhsimran Singh, Dhruv Jurel
- Batters- Shreyas Iyer, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal
- All-rounders- Ravindra Jadeja, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen
- Bowlers- Jofra Archer, Arshdeep Singh, Nandre Burger
Captain (C) Pick- Jofra Archer.
Vice-Captain (VC) Pick- Shreyas Iyer.
