The first team through to the IPL playoffs is officially confirmed, and it is hard to argue that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) do not deserve it. Their victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala was not merely another league-stage win. It was the latest example of a side functioning with the confidence, balance and adaptability of genuine title contenders.

Defending champions RCB have now won nine of their thirteen matches, and what makes their campaign especially impressive is the lack of overdependence on one individual. The runs have come from multiple batters, the wickets from expected match-winners, and the fielding standards have largely held up under pressure. Champion teams tend to develop solutions even when circumstances are imperfect, and RCB displayed exactly that in Dharamsala.

Without their most consistent middle-order batter and captain available for the match, there could easily have been concern about balance. Instead, Venkatesh Iyer stepped into the role seamlessly, producing his first half-century of the season at precisely the right moment. His 73 injected momentum into an innings already anchored by another polished Virat Kohli fifty. Tim David’s late assault then pushed RCB to 222, a total that always looked beyond PBKS once the innings break arrived.

The platform was established early. After Harpreet Brar dismissed Jacob Bethell, Punjab failed to build sustained pressure. Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal added 76, while Yuzvendra Chahal’s expensive opening over immediately shifted momentum toward RCB. At 82/1 after seven overs, the visitors were already dictating terms, and PBKS never truly recovered control.

What follows from here for Punjab is now becoming one of the defining stories of the season – and not in a good way.

For a significant stretch of the tournament, PBKS looked like serious contenders, even table-toppers. Yet the warning signs were always present beneath the surface. Their bowling attack consistently leaked runs, but early in the season the batting unit repeatedly compensated for it. Once those runs began drying up, the structural weaknesses became impossible to hide.

Now the defeats are piling up. The catches being dropped have become alarmingly frequent. Confidence appears fragile. Even tosses seem to be going against Shreyas Iyer, who finally won one after a long stretch only to see little benefit from it.

Six consecutive losses have transformed PBKS from playoff favourites into a side fighting for survival. Their next fixture against tenth-placed Lucknow Super Giants is effectively a knockout game. And LSG, despite being out of contention themselves, appear determined to drag a few more teams down with them before exiting the season.

If Punjab lose again, this campaign will not merely be remembered as a missed opportunity. It will rank among the most dramatic collapses by a table-topping side in IPL history.