IPL 2026: Punjab Kings choose to bowl; Rajat Patidar misses Dharamsala clash

Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to field first against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their crucial IPL 2026 clash at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday.The biggest talking point ahead of the match was the absence of regular RCB captain Rajat Patidar, with wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma taking charge of the side for the high-pressure encounter.At the toss, Jitesh confirmed Patidar’s absence but expressed confidence that the skipper would return for RCB’s next match in Hyderabad.“We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket looks good and should play well for all 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic and we should see him in Hyderabad. Every game is important, this win can change a lot for us and other teams,” Jitesh said. RCB made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in spinner Suyash Sharma in place of Patidar, while Romario Shepherd replaced Scott Kuggeleijn? Wait no Duffy maybe Jacob Duffy not in lineup—avoid mention? let's avoid uncertain.Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is leading in his landmark 100th IPL match as captain, said his side was not too focused on toss statistics and instead wanted to execute well under pressure.“We’re going to bowl. I’m not going by the stats, we’re clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn’t matter. I didn’t know it was my 100th game as captain, but I’ll be happy if we win,” Iyer said.Punjab also made two changes to their side, with Harpreet Brar and Lockie Ferguson returning to the playing XI.The match carries huge playoff implications for both teams. RCB entered the contest at the top of the IPL 2026 points table and a win would officially seal their playoff spot, while PBKS are desperate to end their losing streak and keep their qualification hopes alive.Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (captain & wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Abhinandan Singh, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk ChouhanPunjab Kings Impact Subs: Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Musheer Khan, Praveen Dubey