The Punjab Kings have finally tasted defeat in the 2026 season, losing their final match at the New Chandigarh Stadium. The Rajasthan Royals pulled off a remarkable chase of 223 runs to win by six wickets, driven by a blistering start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and finished by an unbeaten 52 off 26 deliveries from Donovan Ferreira. By reaching the target with four balls to spare, the Royals also managed to improve their Net Run Rate.
Despite the loss, the Punjab Kings maintain their position at the summit of the standings with 13 points from eight matches. The Rajasthan Royals have moved into the third spot for the time being, tallying 12 points across nine games. In the individual standings, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has claimed the Orange Cap from SRH’s Abhishek Sharma, marking a season where the top three run-scorers have each recorded a century.
IPL 2026 Points Table (Updated)
POS TEAM PL W L NR NRR PTS
1 Punjab Kings 8 6 0 1 1.043 13
2 Royal Challengers Bengaluru 8 6 2 0 1.919 12
3 Rajasthan Royals 9 6 3 0 0.617 12
4 Sunrisers Hyderabad 8 5 3 0 0.815 10
5 Gujarat Titans 8 4 4 0 -0.475 8
6 Chennai Super Kings 8 3 5 0 -0.121 6
7 Delhi Capitals 8 3 5 0 -1.060 6
8 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 8 2 5 1 -0.751 5
9 Mumbai Indians 7 2 5 0 -0.736 4
10 Lucknow Super Giants 8 2 6 0 -1.106 4
Orange Cap Standings: Most Runs in IPL 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took over the top spot after a rapid 43 runs from 16 balls, contributing to a 51 run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal that lasted only 3.2 overs. He is the first player to cross the 400 run threshold this season.
POS PLAYER INNS RUNS SR
1 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) 9 400 238.09
2 Abhishek Sharma (SRH) 8 380 212.29
3 KL Rahul (DC) 8 358 185.49
4 Virat Kohli (RCB) 8 351 162.50
5 Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) 8 349 149.78
Purple Cap Standings: Most Wickets in IPL 2026
The Purple Cap race remains highly competitive, with Jofra Archer moving up to second place. The top four bowlers are currently tied with 14 wickets each.
POS PLAYER INNS WICKETS ECON
1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) 8 14 7.61
2 Jofra Archer (RR) 9 14 8.27
3 Anshul Kamboj (CSK) 7 14 8.56
4 Eshan Malinga 8 14 9.44
5 Prince Yadav (LSG) 8 13 8.06
The acquisition of Donovan Ferreira proved vital for Rajasthan. While several teams sought to sign the South African from Delhi Capitals during the transfer window for his power hitting against both pace and spin, RR secured him in exchange for Nitish Rana. His match winning performance against the previously undefeated Punjab Kings justified the trade as the Royals successfully chased down 223.
