Rajasthan Royals broke Punjab Kings’ unbeaten streak in IPL 2026 with a decisive 6-wicket win in Match 40 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, April 28. RR chased a tough 223 and scored 228/4 in 19.2 overs to win with 4 balls remaining in a thrilling T20 contest.
PBKS, captained by Shreyas Iyer, had a strong 222/4 in response to the Royals’ decision to bat first. This was anchored by a late surge from Marcus Stoinis, who hit 62 off 22 balls. The Kings’ top order laid the foundation, with Prabhsimran Singh and others, while Suryansh Shedge provided the late runs. RR bowlers, led by Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande, attempted to hold the fort but conceded too many runs in the last overs as PBKS added 55 in the final three overs.
The chase started strongly. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a strong start for RR, but PBKS responded with crucial wickets, including Riyan Parag. At half-time, the game was poised with RR needing to accelerate. Donovan Ferreira then delivered the game-changing 52* in a quick cameo, mixing aggression and rotation.
Shubham Dubey provided some late runs, while Dhruv Jurel briefly stabilised the innings. PBKS’ bowlers, led by Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, bowled regularly but couldn’t halt the flow of boundaries on a batsman-friendly wicket.
Ferreira’s cool head was rewarded with the Man of the Match. The win helped RR reach 12 points, improving their chances of reaching the playoffs and their net run rate (NRR), while PBKS, despite the defeat, continued to lead the table with 13 points from 8 matches and a good NRR. PBKS had been in top form earlier, including chasing record scores, but this loss meant that their unbeaten streak finally ended.
Here are the best memes from PBKS vs RR, Match 40 of IPL 2026:
#RRvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/hRMEhozhc9
— MK Sharma ✍️ (@EmediaManoj) April 28, 2026Vaibhav be like #RRvsPBKS 😜 https://t.co/J9PyZnd4qN pic.twitter.com/ORVlcOzn3P
— Rohan महाजन (@mahajanrohan99) April 28, 2026IPL POINT TABLE
Top 4 race ❌
Top 2 race ✅#IPL2026 #RRvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/eQoXq4bBxt
— AB Crickzone (@BInformati71086) April 28, 2026India will always be indebted to Rahul Dravid for identifying and nurturing a prodigy like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a once-in-a-generation talent.#PBKSvsRR #RRvsPBKS #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/jeYa1oRI3Y
— Abhishek rai (@Abhishe74899601) April 28, 2026PUNJAB KINGS WINNING STREAK BREAKS 💔 💔 #IPL #RRVSPBKS pic.twitter.com/xob0wFCSLf
— IPLwithMayank (@MAYXxFF) April 28, 2026This guy is the highest run scorer and the highest six hitter this season🥶#RajasthanRoyal #RRvsPBKS #PBKSvsRR #RRvPBKS pic.twitter.com/ltnMsWSXi7
— Faltu Gyaan (@QuirkyDose) April 28, 2026Aura of RR after defeating unbeatable PBKS.#RRvsPBKS #PBKSvsRR pic.twitter.com/HQDiTZIYRO
— Kric_26 (@Kric262) April 28, 2026Meet the only captain who ended Punjab Kings’ undefeated streak: The Lord Riyan Parag 🗿 pic.twitter.com/5xNaFG69FX
— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) April 28, 2026
