IPL Pulse: April flowers, May flounders

Good morning,

Say hello to the penultimate Monday of IPL 2026. If you prefer being zen and stress-free going into the new week, please avoid looking at the IPL standings. The traffic jam outside your office won't be as bad as the one currently bulging the midriff of the points table. We've got three slots. And we've got about half-a-dozen teams keeping the calculators warm.

Missed all the Sunday action, and not sure where to start? Go on, browse the Cricketlineguruji Pulse, your easy, breezy recap of the IPL cosmos.

Last evening in five lines

Defending champions RCB cruise into the Playoffs

RCB's total sets new record for IPL 2026, breaks last season's 200+ tally

PBKS succumb to sixth loss on the bounce

Starc plucks four; DC's death-batting shows up

DC stay in the hunt, RR flounder thrice in a row

Oh, that happened

The defending champions got a cute Q next to their name. Distancing themselves from all the drama, RCB became the first team to enter the Playoffs, thanks to a resounding win in the mountains. Virat Kohli found new records to break, Venkatesh Iyer found his mojo, and the rest of the bats did their bit. PBKS's top-order unraveled like five-year-old's shoelaces, never to recover enough to stand a real chance.

Pulse Awards

Venkatesh wins the battle-of-the-Iyers for an emphatic victory over the opposition captain. Out for 1, Shreyas was the second-best Iyer, the second-best No.4, and the second-best December 1994 born.

PBKS get the proverb-buster award, for flipping the phrase "April showers bring May flowers". No, they don't. Their campaign now looks like two sides of a pancake. Or a mirror. They do need some serious self-reflection.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets the Boss Baby award for carrying an entire lineup on his 15-year-old shoulders. He's a real life Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Tim David wins the Gabbar lite award for slapping his thigh after his match-sealing catch, reprising the famous celebration of a former Punjab Kings star.

RCB get the hat-tip award for a gentle nod to Virat Kohli, reaching the playoffs with "18" points.

Talking point

Let's talk scenarios. Technically, seven teams still have a mathematical chance. Gujarat Titans can only slip out if there's a four-way 16-point tie, and their NRR is the lowest. Far, far down, KKR can go through even with 13 points if a bunch of results go their way. For a detailed look, check out this explainer.

Chatter

An extremely disappointed Riyan Parag fired shots at his team: "If we keep on playing like this, we shouldn't be in contention for the top 4", saying if they don't qualify, it's their fault, and not someone else's. That, it is.

Venky Iyer conceded that "I'd lie if I said that I was not frustrated or not wanting to play", having spent most of the season in the dugout. He added that although there's an emotional bond with KKR, he really feels at home with RCB.

When asked about his favourite topic - strike-rates - KL Rahul said he "still hasn't cracked it completely", and that playing sport is all about "trial and error".

Shreyas Iyer is hoping for Lumos Maximaafter a few dark weeks: "Tomorrow again, I'm going to see the sunrise and there's always light at the end of the tunnel".

"We've stopped discussing the surface - we play this as an away venue," said Hemang Badani following DC's win. While DC began and ended their home leg with wins, they had a baffling 71.4% loss percentage at home. Definitely was 'home disadvantage' this season!

Stat Snack

DC have dropped 22 catches so far, and their catching efficiency is 63.3% - the worst by any side this season. You need to be really poor to have beaten PBKS on that front.

Gossip column

It's Chennai's final home game this year, and there's serious buzz around the possible appearance of Thala. Could Dhoni walk in for a final goodbye? Either way, the wait has been too long.

Today's watchlist

Keep aside jersey No.7 for a moment: CSK are still in the hunt for a playoffs spot. A win against SRH is the next obvious step, but a whole lot of complications lay in wait if they lose.

It's simple if SRH beat CSK. They go through, as do GT.

Reckless prediction for today

"Definitely not". Thala for another season.