Why is Ravi Bishnoi not playing today? Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag confirmed at the toss that Ravi Bishnoi has been dropped from the playing XI for the PBKS vs RR clash at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on April 28. Bishnoi is not injured — this is a purely tactical decision, and the second consecutive match in which the leg-spinner has been benched.
Parag was direct about it at the toss: “Hetmyer goes out, as does Bishnoi. Shanaka comes in, along with Yash [Punja].” RR have won the toss and elected to bowl first against table-toppers Punjab Kings. PBKS enter this game unbeaten — 6 wins from 7 matches (one no-result), sitting at the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 13 points.
Why is Ravi Bishnoi Not Playing Today — The Tactical Reasoning
Why is Ravi Bishnoi not playing today? Bishnoi’s omission is not about form collapse or fitness concerns. It is about matchup-specific squad management — a trend that has defined Riyan Parag’s captaincy in IPL 2026.
The key context: this is the second consecutive match Bishnoi has been dropped from the starting XI. He was also left out of RR’s previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 25 in Jaipur, where Tushar Deshpande replaced him as RR added a seamer instead of a second specialist spinner. In that game, Bishnoi was brought on as Impact Player during the bowling innings — but only bowled one over in the 11th, conceding 16 runs as Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen were already set.
Parag’s post-match explanation after the SRH loss was revealing: “There were two lefties, I thought me and Don [Ferreira] had better chances to get wicket. Wicket was not spin-friendly, I just had to manage four overs. Different venues, different games, different ways to approach it.”
That same logic applies in Mullanpur tonight, but this time RR have a tall leg spinner in Yash Raj Punja. The venue has been an absolute batting paradise in IPL 2026 — the average first-innings score this season is 212. The surface offers consistent bounce and excellent carry, which favours batters playing through the line and makes life difficult for spinners who rely on turn and grip. Parag has opted for Dasun Shanaka’s medium-pace all-round utility over Shimron Hetmyer’s batting, and Yash Punja’s 6’5″ bounce-generating leg-spin over Bishnoi’s flatter, faster style.
What Happened to Ravi Bishnoi in IPL 2026 Season?
This is where the situation gets nuanced. Bishnoi has not had a poor season — far from it. He has taken 11 wickets in 8 matches for RR in IPL 2026, tying him as the franchise’s joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Jofra Archer. His best figures of 4/41 came against Gujarat Titans, where he earned the Player of the Match award.
An in-depth analysis highlighted the technical adjustments that have powered Bishnoi’s resurgence this season. He has bowled just one full delivery all season — a dramatic reduction from 12.61% full balls in IPL 2025 and 13.74% in IPL 2024. His release point is higher and more upright, producing more consistent lengths. These are the hallmarks of a bowler who has rebuilt his method from the ground up.
But the economy rate tells a less comfortable story. Bishnoi’s economy sits at approximately 9.54 this season — a number that, on flat IPL surfaces, can be acceptable for a wicket-taker but starts to look expensive when there is a cheaper alternative available. That alternative is Yash Punja.
Who is Yash Punja — Bishnoi’s Replacement in the RR Playing XI
Yash Raj Punja is a 19-year-old leg-spinner born in Abu Dhabi to Indian parents, standing approximately 6’5″ tall. He was acquired by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2026 auction for the base price of INR 30 lakh — making him one of the cheapest purchases in the entire auction.
Punja made his IPL debut against KKR at Eden Gardens on April 19, initially listed as an Impact Player substitute. He was introduced into the attack immediately after the powerplay and recovered from an expensive first over (12 runs) to concede just seven, three, and three runs in his next three overs. He picked up the wicket of Ramandeep Singh, finishing with figures of 1/25 in four overs — an economy of 6.25.
That economy rate of 6.25 currently leads all bowlers in IPL 2026 (minimum qualification). Ravindra Jadeja is second at 6.71. These are RR’s own bowlers outperforming the more established name at a fraction of the cost.
Punja’s height generates extra bounce that is difficult for batters to negotiate, and his googly — developed by studying Afghan spinners like Rashid Khan — adds a layer of deception. He had not played a single ball of professional cricket before his IPL debut. His breakthrough came in the 2025 Maharaja Trophy in Karnataka, where he took 23 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.48 for Hubli Tigers.
The Dakia had profiled RR’s spin-proofing strategy ahead of the season, noting how Punja’s height-based approach would complement Bishnoi’s flatter trajectory. What few expected was that the complement would turn into a direct replacement this quickly.
RR vs PBKS Playing XIs — Full Lineups
Rajasthan Royals (bowling first): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Brijesh Sharma, Nandre Burger, Yash Punja
RR Bench: Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer
Punjab Kings (batting first): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
PBKS Bench: Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan
The significant change beyond Bishnoi’s omission is Shimron Hetmyer’s absence. With both Hetmyer and Bishnoi out, RR have effectively traded batting depth and spin experience for Shanaka’s seam-bowling all-round utility and Punja’s economic leg-spin.
Meanwhile, Riyan Parag found himself at the centre of a separate controversy during the same match — Riyan Parag was captured vaping inside the dressing room during PBKS vs RR, raising questions about potential legal and disciplinary consequences.
Ravi Bishnoi Update — Is There an Injury Concern?
No. There is no Ravi Bishnoi injury. The leg-spinner is fully fit and available — he is listed among the bench options and can be used as an Impact Player substitute during the match, just as he was against SRH on April 25. But, with RR bowling first, that is unlikely, so the why is Ravi Bishnoi not playing today query is better explained as a tactical switch.
This is purely about Parag’s match-by-match approach to squad selection. RR have rotated aggressively throughout IPL 2026 — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shimron Hetmyer were both rested earlier in the tournament for tactical reasons. The franchise’s willingness to bench established names in favour of matchup-specific selections has been one of the defining features of their campaign.
What This Means for Bishnoi Going Forward
Bishnoi’s situation is not a permanent exile. Parag’s own words after the SRH match — “Different venues, different games, different ways to approach it” — confirm that these are game-by-game calls. On spinning surfaces, or against lineups stacked with right-handers who struggle against leg-spin, Bishnoi remains RR’s first-choice wrist spinner. Why is Ravi Bishnoi not playing today? Just a tactical change.
But the emergence of Yash Punja has given RR a genuine selection headache. At an economy of 6.25 versus Bishnoi’s 9.54, the numbers create a compelling case for the teenager — especially at venues like Mullanpur where the pitch offers little assistance for conventional spin. Punja’s extra bounce from his 6’5″ frame generates problems even on flat surfaces, which is precisely the kind of skill that suits a batting highway.
RR sit fourth on the IPL 2026 points table with 10 points from 8 matches (5 wins, 3 losses). They are still firmly in the playoff race with 6 matches remaining, but back-to-back losses to LSG and SRH have eroded their position. Tonight’s match against the unbeaten PBKS is a test of whether Parag’s aggressive rotation strategy can deliver results against the tournament’s best side.
For Bishnoi, the challenge is familiar. After a difficult IPL 2024 and 2025 — just 19 wickets across two seasons, leading to his release from Lucknow Super Giants — he had rebuilt his game and was enjoying a genuine resurgence at RR. Now, the emergence of a 19-year-old bought for ₹30 lakh threatens to push a ₹7.2 crore investment to the bench at the business end of the tournament.
That is the reality of modern IPL squad management. And for now, Ravi Bishnoi watches from the dugout.
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