Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to field against Punjab Kings in the 40th Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Dasun Shanaka and Yash Punja replaced Shimron Hetmyer and Ravi Bishnoi in the Rajasthan Royals’ lineup. Suryansh Shedge and Lockie Ferguson came in for Shashank Singh and Xavier Bartlett in the Punjab Kings’ team.
Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag mentioned that they decided to bowl first due to the favorable conditions. He highlighted the importance of early wickets and expressed confidence in the team’s abilities. Punjab Kings’ captain Shreyas Iyer also preferred to bowl first, emphasizing the need to maintain momentum. He acknowledged the team’s goals and offered condolences to Azmat and his family for their loss.
The playing XIs for the match are as follows: Rajasthan Royals – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Punja. Punjab Kings – Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
