The defending champions became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) officially became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs after defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 23 runs in Dharamsala on Sunday (April 17).
Invited to bat first, the defending champions posted a massive 222/4 on the board. Virat Kohli laid the platform with a fine half-century (58 off 37) and a 76-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (45 off 25), while Venkatesh Iyer (73* off 40) and Tim David (28 off 12) provided a blockbuster finish to the innings.
In response, a collapsing top-order left PBKS reeling at 19/3 inside the powerplay. Despite a valiant middle-order counter-attack, the hosts were restricted to 199/8. Rasikh Salam Dar (3-36), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-38) and Josh Hazlewood (1-36) delivered impactful spells for RCB.
After the win, RCB all-rounder Tim David pulled off a viral "Chak De Fatte" celebration at the HPCA Stadium.
On the final ball of the match, David securely caught Azmatullah Omarzai at long-off. Immediately after completing the catch, he turned directly toward the stadium stands and broke into the popular Punjabi kabaddi thigh-slap move, widely known as the "Chak De Fatte" or "Jatt Gabru" celebration.
Here’s the video:
With this outcome, PBKS remain on 13 points and no longer control their own playoffs fate. The Shreyas Iyer-led side not only need to win their last league fixture, but also need a few other results to go their way to secure a top-four finish.