It’s a double day in the Indian Premier League that could, for better or for worse, write the next chapter of two very different stories. First, the Punjab Kings side in an alarming free fall – and up to his neck in drama off the field — take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the postcard setting of Dharamsala. Then, as the sun sets over the capital, Rajasthan Royals will return from a week’s hibernation to face Delhi Capitals on their own patch. High stakes, frayed nerves and a dearth of subplots. Super Sunday has rarely seemed more fitting.
The Punjab Kings collapse was the kind that makes you rub your eyes in disbelief. Not so long ago, Shreyas Iyer’s men were the most exciting team in the tournament. When they chased down 264 in Delhi, they didn’t just win the game – they sent a message. Thirteen points from seven games saw them advance to the playoffs. Now, five straight defeats later, that walk has become a desperate scramble. They remain in fourth place, but the column of points stubbornly refused to budgeand a sixth straight defeat against the top players on Sunday could bring the curtain down on their season – completing one of the most spectacular second-half implosions this tournament has ever seen.
And it is not just cricket that is falling apart. The mountains offered no shelter to the Punjabi kings. While the team specialized in prying defeat from the jaws of victory on the field, in the locker room manners were running that had nothing to do with the weather. Whether the noise penetrated the dressing room is a question that no one at PBKS is willing to answer publicly.
That reluctance was on full display Saturday night, when the franchise sent physical therapist Andrew Leipus to face the press — a transparent attempt to avoid tough questions on the eve of their season-defining game.
What was seen on the training ground offered at least a shred of encouragement. Iyer, whose form deserted him at the worst possible moment, put in a long, purposeful session in the nets. Then he took off his shoes and stayed on the field – talking to his bowlers, batsmen, support staff – the kind of quiet leadership that suggests a captain who doesn’t give up. Prabhsimran Singh, fresh from a fifty against Mumbai Indians on Thursday, followed up with a punishing 45-minute knock. A shower of rain threatened to cut proceedings short, but Punjab bounced back after the break and youngster Suryansh Shegde got his time in the middle as well. Shreyas looked menacing in the nets (Courtesy: PTI)
The challenge before them is clear enough. Earlier in the season, a batting unit that feasted on 200-plus totals provided enough cover to paper over the bowling cracks. These cracks are now chasms. Arshdeep Singh was the one man fighting the fire, but he couldn’t do it himself – and Marco Jansen was leaking runs with a regularity that gives captains sleepless nights. Lockie Ferguson could enter the reckoning as Leipus confirmed a fully fit squad, although the bowlers’ workload in Saturday’s session was remarkably light.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrive in Dharamsala with a perfect week. Virat Kohli’s sensational hundred in Raipur has given them a boost and a win on Sunday would virtually guarantee them a top-two finish. It’s a team that plays with the ease of champions – and that, frankly, is the last thing a threadbare Punjab side needed to hear.
CAN RAJASTHAN FIND FORM ON RETURN?
On Sunday night, the focus will shift to Delhi where Rajasthan Royals will be anxious to know if their captain is back. Riyan Parag missed the Ahmedabad match with a hamstring complaint but has had a week to put his legs up and recover and his return to the middle order can’t come soon enough. Without him, Rajasthan have uncomfortably leaned on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – a phenomenal talent who will be asked to carry more than his share. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who deputized as captain last week, needs to run badly: three scores under 15 in his last four outings is not the form of a man who wants to be Delhi’s main problem on Sunday night.
Rust, if there is any after the break, needs to shake off quickly — because the Delhi Capitals, whatever their playoff prospects may look like, are not rolling over. They come into this game chasing 211 against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala and with the added motivation of giving their home crowd something to cheer about in this utterly miserable home campaign: one win from six in their own stronghold.
Rajasthan are fifth with 12 points from 11 matches with three matches to go. Two wins out of three will keep the dream alive; three out of three and they can start thinking about the top four. But before that, they need to rediscover the momentum that evaporated in back-to-back defeats before the break.
CONDITIONS AND WEATHER: DHARAMSALA AND DELHI
Dharamsala has been a bowler’s friend this season, rewarding pace and bounce while offering spinners rare in return. With the rain falling on the eve of the match, there could be more touches on the surface for the Seafarers on Sunday afternoon. Teams have preferred to chase it all season and that instinct is unlikely to change – although with the game scheduled for the afternoon, the dew should play a lesser role than usual.
As always, Delhi remains an enigma. Totals this season at the venue have ranged from 264 to 75 – a spread that tells you almost nothing and everything at once. Both sides have the firepower to match, but whichever team reads the terms first will likely have the advantage.
PBKS vs RCB — TEAM NEWS
Punjab Kings could make one change and drop Shashank Singh in favor of Vishnu Vinod who last impressed as an Impact Substitute. RCB have no reason to fix what isn’t broken.
PBKS PREDICTED XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar.
Impact Sub: Yuzvenda Chahal
RCB PREDICTED XI: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy.
Impact Sub: Venkatesh Iyer.
DC vs RR — TEAM NEWS
Riyan Parag is expected to return and regain the captaincy for Rajasthan. Delhi are likely to name the same XI that did the job against the Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.
DC PREDICTED XI: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi
Impact Sub: Ashutosh Sharma
RR PREDICTED XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande.
Impact Sub: Brijesh Sharma
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Published on:
17 May 2026 09:49 IST
