Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru booked their place in the playoffs of the Indian Premier Leaguewith a commanding 23-run victory over Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium on May 17. Along with sealing qualification, RCB also grabbed attention on social media with a cheeky response aimed at PBKS during the match.

During the Punjab innings, RCB posted ‘49/3 (6 overs)’ on X, a post widely seen as a sarcastic dig at PBKS’ earlier social media activity. The reference traced back to April 28, when Punjab had posted ‘49/1 (4.3 overs)’ during their clash against Rajasthan Royals. That post had indirectly mocked RCB’s infamous collapse against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2017, where Bengaluru were bowled out for just 49, still the lowest total in IPL history.

On the field, RCB produced a dominant all-round performance after being asked to bat first. The innings began cautiously as Harpreet Brar dismissed Jacob Bethell early. However, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal quickly turned the momentum in Bengaluru’s favour with an aggressive counterattack. The pair added 76 runs in just 42 balls before Padikkal departed after a fluent 45-run knock.

Venkatesh Iyer then joined Kohli and ensured the scoring rate never slowed down. The duo stitched together a vital 60-run stand off 35 deliveries. Kohli continued his brilliant season with 58 runs from 37 balls before falling late in the innings. Tim David provided the finishing touches with a rapid 28 off just 12 deliveries before being dismissed on the final ball.

Venkatesh remained unbeaten on 73 from 40 balls, registering his maiden half-century for RCB and guiding the side to a formidable total of 222 for 4 in 20 overs.

In reply, Punjab Kings suffered an early collapse as Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed both openers inside the first two overs. Rasikh Salam then delivered another crucial breakthrough by dismissing PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, leaving Punjab struggling at 19 for 3.

Cooper Connolly and Suryansh Shedge attempted to rebuild with a 43-run partnership, scoring 37 and 35 respectively. Shahsank Singh fought bravely with a quickfire 56 off 27 balls, but the target proved too steep as RCB comfortably secured victory and became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs.