IPL Dispatch: PBKS Favourites Despite RR Loss; MI Face SRH Test As Ngidi Gets Injury Update

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been the team to beat so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, with Shreyas Iyer and co. sitting comfortably at the top of the league standings at the midway point of the season.

However, their seven-game unbeaten streak came to an end on Tuesday, as Rajasthan Royals secured a six-wicket win at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.

The Kings recovered from a mid-innings stumble to post 222/4, led by a brilliant late knock from Marcus Stoinis. The Australian remained unbeaten at 62 off just 22 balls, hitting four fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 282.

However, a good start by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 27) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43 off 16) kept RR in the contest, and Donovan Ferreira’s unbeaten half-century took them over the line with four balls to spare.

Despite losing a game for the first time this season, PBKS remain at the top of the table, one point above second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). With six games remaining for the Kings, they just need three more points, or two wins, to cross the 16-point threshold, which pretty much guarantees a place in the IPL playoffs.

Tuesday’s loss notwithstanding, PBKS are in such good form that they have a chance of topping the table at the end of the league phase, much like they did last season. In IPL 2025, the top two teams finished with 19 points, and PBKS are well on track to match or cross that record.

This will be good news for Shreyas Iyer, as a top-two finish means that his side will get two shots at making it to the final and avenge the heartbreaking loss to RCB in the last edition.

Shreyas’ counterpart tonight, RR skipper Riyan Parag, however, had a mixed night on Tuesday. After making a decent start at number four, he managed 29 off 16 balls before holing straight to Suryansh Shedge off Yuzvendra Chahal’s delivery.

While 29 may not seem like a big deal, it is Parag’s highest score in IPL 2026. The Assam batter has had a pretty poor season so far, with Parag being dismissed for single figures four times this season. Maybe, his knock against PBKS – cut short though it was – will be key in him recapturing his best form.

In the meantime, though, questions are mounting on his role as both a middle-order batter and team captain. And those voices will only get more amplified when news of his allegedly vaping in the RR dugout hits the news.

In the 16th over of the second innings, TV cameras briefly captured Parag using what looked like a vape inside the dressing room, and the visuals have gone viral on social media. Aside from the ethical and moral implications of smoking on national television, there’s also the teeny tiny issue that vapes are actually illegal in India.

What, if anything, will happen to Parag due to this remains to be seen. In recent memory, former Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan was indefinitely suspended by his club for smoking in the dugout before a game, so fans can expect some retrospective punishment coming Parag’s way.

One RR player, however, who remains on cloud nine is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Just when you think that he has broken possibly all the records he can break for some time, he surprises you yet again.

True to form, the Boss Baby of Indian cricket smashed another IPL record when he came in to bat against PBKS. His fiery knock of 43 runs off just 16 deliveries, which included three fours and five sixes, was crucial to RR cruising through the powerplays and ultimately securing the win.

The knock also made him the fastest player to reach 400 runs in the IPL. The 15-year-old batter reached the milestone in just 167 balls, eclipsing West Indies’ Andre Russell (188) and Abhishek Sharma (195). Sooryavanshi also went to the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard, overtaking Abhishek (380 runs).

Five-Time Champs Face Hyderabad

Mumbai Indians (MI) might have thought that their luck had changed when they broke their opening-day voodoo with a six-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, the five-time champions lost four games on the trot afterwards, putting them near the foot of the table.

A massive 99-run win over Gujarat Titans (GT) would have come as a sliver of hope, but it was soon dashed with a humiliating 103-run defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This result leaves them in the penultimate spot in the league standings with just four points.

Now, Hardik Pandya will have to rally his troops for a tough test at home against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Boosted by the return of captain Pat Cummins, SRH are on a roll at the moment, winning four consecutive games, including a five-wicket victory over RR.

SRH have a poor record at the Wankhede, winning just two of their last nine games against MI at the venue. However, the hosts have had troubles of their own at the stadium, losing three straight matches at home for the first time in 19 IPL seasons.

One thing for sure is that at the end of the match, either SRH’s win streak will come to an end, or MI’s losing run at home.

Where Teams Stand

We are officially in the second half of the league phase of IPL 2026, with all teams – bar MI – having played eight or more games. The race for the playoff spots is heating up. We have our early favourites, with both PBKS (13 points) and RCB (12) being marked for a place in the top four.

RR remain third with 12 points, though they have played one game more, and SRH (10 points) can overtake them with a win against MI.

Quote of the Day

Every time Sooryavanshi plays, he wins hearts and minds of the fans and his fellow players alike. After his scintillating opening knock tonight, his strike partner Yashasvi Jaiswal heaped praise on Sooryavanshi in the post-match press conference.

“Of course, it’s amazing. I really enjoyed batting with him and he’s playing amazing,” Jaiswal said. “So it’s always, I’m always happy seeing the other end, the way he’s hitting the ball.”

It was only apt that, after the post-match talks, Jaiswal handed over the Orange Cap to Sooryavanshi, the new leading run-scorer of the tournament.

Odd Man Out in Top 10

Speaking of Orange Cap, if you take one look at the top 10 batters on the list, you will see an odd man out. In fifth place is the lone overseas player in the list – SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen, with 349 runs, trailing Sooryavanshi by 51 runs.

While other overseas hitters like Nicholas Pooran, Mitch Marsh, and Travis Head have drawn blanks this season, Klaasen has shone brightly. He is firmly in the race to finish at the league’s top scorer while boasting a strike rate of almost 150. His form is one of the main reasons why SRH have enjoyed a renaissance of late.

Klaasen will have an opportunity to reclaim the Orange Cap when SRH face MI’s struggling bowling attack on Wednesday. The Wankhede is a high-scoring venue, and you can bet that Klaasen will relish the opportunity to send a few big shots into the stands.

Lungi Ngidi’s Injury Update

When Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Lungi Ngidi went off in an ambulance during the match against PBKS, fans held their breath for a positive update. They were soon provided with one by the organisers, who said that Ngidi suffered no serious injuries and was discharged from the hospital.

However, the South African player was missing from the DC playing XI for the match against RCB, and is also reportedly ruled out for the game against RR on May 1.

As per media reports, ICC regulations make it mandatory for a player to undergo a seven-day stand-down period after a concussion injury. Although IPL does not have a similar rule, Ngidi has been asked to follow this rule, which means that he will be available for selection after May 2.

Elsewhere…

Photo of the Day

Fans in cricket-starved Pakistan got a chance to see their heroes in action in the stadium for the first time on Tuesday during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 Qualifier between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.

After the entire PSL 2026 league phase was played behind closed doors due to the ongoing fuel shortage linked to the war in the Middle East, Shehbaz Sharif’s government allowed fans into the stadium for the playoffs and final.

Fans flocked to the National Stadium in Karachi in the thousands. However, a last-minute ticketing issue left them stranded outside the stadium as tickets failed to be delivered on time. The problem was solved when the tickets arrived, but the match had already started by then.

Peshawar won the qualifier by 70 runs – led by a century from captain Babar Azam – and sealed a place in the PSL 2026 final.

PM Modi Inaugurates Cricket Academies

Northeast India is an area that has been left behind in the nation’s cricketing landscape. Indeed, barring Assam, the north-eastern states have not produced a single national team player in over 70 years of independence. The major reason for that is the lack of cricketing infrastructure in the area, which lags far behind that in the rest of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently took a step towards solving that issue, virtually launching six world-class BCCI indoor cricket academies across the Northeast region – in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

Bangladesh Eye Series Win

Following their six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first match of their three-game T20I series, the Bengal Tigers will look to wrap up the series with another victory over the Black Caps during the second clash at the Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Cricket Stadium in Chattogram.

Bangladesh already won the ODI series 2-1, and another victory on Wednesday will wrap up the T20I series for the hosts.