PBKS vs RR preview: Can Rajasthan end Punjab’s undefeated run? Check head-to-head, pitch report, more

Punjab Kings host Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday, 28 April, at 7:30 PM IST in Match 40 of IPL 2026.

Punjab Kings have had an incredible journey so far. They have remained undefeated and how. They even chased down Delhi’s 264, that too in the 19th over. With 13 points in 7 matches, Punjab are right on top of the points table.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have had hiccups in recent matches. After a solid start to the tournament, they lost 3 out of their last 5 matches. With 10 points in 8 matches, the Royals are ranked 4th.

The recent form is evenly split. RR won by 50 runs in 2025 but PBKS won the return fixture by 10 runs. Both 2024 meetings went one way as well.

Sanju Samson is the all-time leading run-scorer in this fixture with 632 runs. KL Rahul leads PBKS' run-scorers with 490 runs against RR.

Samson's highest score in this fixture is 119, made in 2021. Shaun Marsh holds the PBKS individual record with 115, scored in 2008.

However, both Sanju and Rahul have now changed franchises. Shaun played his last IPL in 2017.

Arshdeep Singh holds the record for most wickets with 18 scalps for PBKS.

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi (Impact Player)

Shreyas Iyer has scored 3 consecutive fifties and over 200 runs this season. The opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have combined for 541 runs together.

Rajasthan Royals are looking to bounce back from recent middle-order struggles. Riyan Parag leads the side after Sanju Samson was traded to CSK.

Sam Curran is ruled out for the entire 2026 season with a groin injury. Dasun Shanaka has joined RR as Curran's replacement.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the name on everyone's lips for RR. The 15-year-old has already smashed a 36-ball century and three 15-ball fifties. Jofra Archer leads the bowling with 13 wickets. Ravi Bishnoi has taken 11 wickets in support.

The all-time average batting first across 14 IPL matches (since 2024 when the venue opened) here is 178.07. In IPL 2026 specifically, that average has jumped to around 212.

The highest team total at this ground is 254/7, set by PBKS against LSG on 19 April 2026. The highest run chase achieved here is 223/4, by PBKS against SRH on 11 April 2026.

The pitch is a sporting track made of a mix of red and black soil. It provides true bounce and carry, allowing aggressive batters to play through the line. The outfield is lightning-fast, and the square boundaries are shorter than most IPL venues. Three matches this season have already produced four totals of 200 or more.

New-ball pacers like Arshdeep Singh can find early zip and lateral movement. Spinners get little natural turn and must rely heavily on variations. Teams winning the toss have won 9 of 14 matches here (64.29%). Batting first and bowling first have each produced exactly 7 wins from 14 matches.

The weather at toss time will be partly cloudy with a temperature of 29°C. Rain probability stays at just 5% through the first innings. It rises slightly to 10% by 9:30 PM. Dew is expected to play a heavy role in the second innings. The toss strategy strongly favours fielding first tonight.