Why are Marco Jansen & Xavier Bartlett not playing PBKS vs RCB clash of IPL 2026?
Marco Jansen & Xavier Bartlett played in PBKS’ previous game against the Mumbai Indians.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) are clashing with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League 2026 on Sunday afternoon. The encounter is taking place at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
It is a crucial game for both sides. With a victory, RCB can confirm their berth in the playoffs. On the other hand, PBKS need to win the clash to keep their playoffs hopes alive. While Bengaluru take the top spot in the points table with 16 points, Punjab are placed fourth with 13 points.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field first. Notably, Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett are not part of Punjab’s playing XI. Both of them played in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Why are Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett not part of the PBKS vs RCB clash?
Notably, both of them have been dropped for the clash. Harpeer Brar and Lockie Ferguson have replaced them in the playing XI.
Speaking at the toss, Iyer said, “We’re going to bowl. I’m not going by the stats, we’re clearly seeing how the games pan out. If we bat and bowl well, the toss doesn’t matter. The beauty is to stay in the moment and see the moment and enjoy the pressure. Two changes for us (Harpreet) Brar and Lockie (Ferguson) come in”.
Both Bartlett and Jansen were quite expensive in the previous clash against MI, which Punjab lost. While Jansen leaked 55 runs, Bartlett conceded 53 runs.
Punjab Kings’ Playing XI vs RCB: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Meanwhile, RCB’s regular captain, Rajat Patidar, is absent from this match due to injury. Jitesh Sharma is captaining the side in his absence.
Why are Xavier Bartlett & Marco Jansen missing the PBKS vs RCB clash?
Both of them have been dropped for the clash.
Who won the toss in the PBKS vs RCB match?
Punjab won the toss and opted to bowl first.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.