Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) travel to the north of the country to take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the scenic HPCA Stadium in Match 61 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday, May 17.
RCB come into the game knowing that a win will guarantee their place in the playoffs this season. Rajat Patidar’s side have 16 points from 12 matches, with their most recent win coming against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur.
As the IPL comes towards the end, teams that have had
good tournaments have identified a well-settled playing XI, something RCB can say about themselves. They make minimal changes to their team, apart from trying a new combination or an unfortunate injury.
Here is RCB’s strongest predicted XI vs PBKS, Match 61, IPL 2026:
Top Order: Jacob Bethell/Phil Salt, Virat Kohli
In the absence of Phil Salt, his fellow England teammate Jacob Bethell has not cemented his place in the XI. The left-handed batter has scored just 85 runs from six matches, and it is looking extremely likely that the Warwickshire youngster would lose his place once Salt returns from his injury.
Virat Kohli, meanwhile, returned to form in the best way possible by scoring an outstanding century following back-to-back ducks.
Middle Order: Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer
RCB made a drastic change to their middle order during their win over the Kolkata Knight Riders, replacing Romario Shepherd with Venkatesh Iyer. However, they did not have a good time against the 2024 champions, with Rajat Patidar and Tim David scoring just 11 and two runs, respectively. Patidar has had a good season otherwise, scoring 337 runs at a strike-rate of 192.57.
Bowlers: Rasikh Salam, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy
Amongst all the youngsters, RCB have relied on the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood for wickets, with the duo delivering time and time again. Bhuvi has 22 wickets to his name this season and is the rightful holder of the Purple Cap, while Hazlewood has chipped in with 11 scalps, though being slightly on the expensive side.
RCB’s predicted playing XI vs PBKS in Match 61, IPL 2026:
Jacob Bethell/Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Rasikh Salam, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy
Impact Player: Devdutt Padikkal
