Shreyas Iyer’s blunt assessment of cricket’s cardinal sin after Shashank, Connolly, Ferguson’s dropped catches cost PBKS
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that dropped catches and poor execution across all three departments hurt PBKS badly as Sunrisers Hyderabad handed them a 33-run defeat in IPL 2026 on Tuesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
SRH posted 235/4 after being put in to bat before restricting Punjab to 202/7 despite a fighting century from Cooper Connolly. The result marked PBKS’ third consecutive defeat after what had earlier been one of the strongest starts to the season among all teams.
Punjab’s struggles in the field proved particularly costly. SRH had raced to 79/1 in the powerplay and crossed 200 in the 18th over, with Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head punishing repeated errors from PBKS fielders.
Reflecting on the defeat, Iyer felt Punjab allowed Hyderabad to get significantly beyond a par score on a slowing surface.
“I think it was a bit too much because we got many catches at the start and we could have easily reduce their score by thirty to forty runs I guess, because the wicket kept getting slower and the cutters were holding up a bit,” Iyer said after the match.
The PBKS captain admitted his side were comprehensively beaten on the night. “So we weren’t comprehensive enough on the field, nor in bowling, nor in batting. I think they played comprehensive cricket and they showed us how to win the match,” he added.
Shreyas Iyer tries to keep his team from slipping into negativity
The loss came at a difficult phase for Punjab Kings, who had briefly looked like one of the title favourites earlier in the tournament. Consecutive defeats have now slowed their momentum heading into the final phase of the league stage, though PBKS still remain strongly placed in the playoff race.
Iyer, however, insisted the team would avoid falling into negativity despite the recent run. “I feel we got a fairytale start in this tournament, and everyone was in a great space, and the mindset was top-notch. I think it’s important that we stick to the same mindset,” he said.
“It’s easy to get diverted talking negative about things. But if we are going to continue with the same form, that’s not going to help us.”
The Punjab skipper added that the upcoming break could help the side reset mentally before the playoff race intensifies further. “But definitely we got to go back, reflect on things that we didn’t do well in the last three matches and see to it that we come back strong,” he said.
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One of the major positives for PBKS came through young Australian batter Cooper Connolly, whose counter-attacking hundred kept Punjab alive briefly in the chase after early wickets had pushed them into trouble at 48/3. Praising the youngster, Iyer highlighted Connolly’s temperament under pressure. “I mean, he’s phenomenal. His mindset is top-notch, and the character he brings onto the field is something that all players can learn from him,” Iyer said.
“And apart from that, I feel that he’s got a knack for scoring big runs in pressure situations. He has done in the past, and today was the right example.”
Shreyas Iyer also praised Yuzvendra Chahal’s attacking approach despite SRH’s aggressive batting display. “It’s certainly the way he bowled. He was fearless, and his attitude was fantastic against left-handers,” Iyer said. “I asked him to be attacking, especially when the new batsmen were in, because they were on the charge right from ball one.”
However, the PBKS captain again returned to the dropped catches as the defining moment of the game. Notably, PBKS dropped three catches in the game, two of them were of Ishan Kishan and one of Heinrich Klaasen. Cooper Connolly, Lockier Ferguson and Shashank Singh were the culprits. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take catches. I think that was the biggest setback for us in today’s game,” he said.
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