IPL 2026 Points Table: PBKS climb to number one spot after rain abandons KKR tie

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have climbed to the top spot on the IPL 2026 points table after rain abandoned their away clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Monday (Apr 6). With five points from three matches, Punjab sits at the number one position, with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) following them in second. Meanwhile, KKR also opened their account this season courtesy of the rain, after losing their two contested matches.

Looking to switch their fate, KKR elected to bat first after winning the toss. Surprisingly, their two mystery spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, were absent from the playing XI due to respective injuries, with the hosts including Rovman Powell and Navdeep Saini for this crucial clash. For Punjab, captain Shreyas Iyer announced an unchanged XI, oozing confidence from their two wins in as many contested matches thus far.

An overcast sky presented wonderful bowling conditions for the Punjab seamers, who made early inroads inside the first five overs. Following Arshdeep Singh’s first over, Australian quick Xavier Bartlett removed two foreign stars, opener Finn Allen and compatriot Cameron Green, off beautiful outswingers, reducing KKR to 16 for two in the first two overs.

Keeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi joined captain Ajinkya Rahane in the middle before rain interrupted play. Although there were a few passages where the rain stopped and it looked like the play could resume, the wet outfield led to no result in the end, with the two captains shaking hands.

With that, Punjab jumped to the top of the points table, while Kolkata is placed eighth with one win in three contested matches. While KKR will host Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) three days later on Thursday (Apr 9), Punjab will also play host to the afternoon game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in New Chandigarh on Saturday (Apr 11).