Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 started with Punjab Kings (PBKS) with 6 consecutive wins. One of his matches was washed away in the rain. The team had reached 13 points in just 7 matches. It seemed that now it would take only 2-3 matches to reach the playoffs but now the story seems to be changing. PBKS has lost 3 consecutive matches.
PBKS failed to defend 222 runs against Rajasthan Royals. After this, she could score only 163 runs against Gujarat Titans (GT). In this match, PBKS bowled well and dragged the match till the last over but in the very next match, they gave away 235 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In response, PBKS could score only 202 runs and lost the match by 33 runs. With the defeat, PBKS has also lost the number-1 crown in the points table.
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PBKS failed in every department in front of SRH
In the 49th match of the season played at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (May 6), PBKS team performed poorly in every department against SRH. SRH, who came to bat first after losing the toss, got a stormy start from Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. PBKS took the big wicket of Abhishek after conceding 54 runs in 3.2 overs. Now he needed to gain control but the fielders spoiled his plans.
Cooper Connolly missed an easy catch of Ishan Kishan, while Shashank Singh gave life to Heinrich Klaasen. PBKS’s poor performance in the field continued and gave Ishan two more lives. This time, Lockie Ferguson took a catch on Yuzvendra Chahal’s ball and after a few balls, Prabhsimran Singh missed the opportunity of stumping. Ishaan (55 runs in 32 balls) and Klaasen (69 runs in 43 balls) took advantage of the lease of life and scored half-centuries and put PBKS on the back foot.
After this, the back of PBKS’s batting order, which came out to chase huge runs, broke in the powerplay itself. Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shreyas Iyer returned to the pavilion within 4 overs. Cooper Connolly certainly played an unbeaten century but he was never able to put SRH under pressure. In this match, PBKS appeared to be a mediocre team in bowling, fielding and batting.
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PBKS problems are increasing
PBKS’s bowling has been struggling since the beginning of the season. In the last match against GT, its bowlers performed well while defending the small target, which boosted the morale of the team, but in the very next match, their hard work was ruined by the fielders. Till now PBKS bowlers and fielders were performing disappointingly but the batsmen were covering their mistakes. But now the batsmen have also started struggling.
The middle order is also failing due to the opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh not giving a good start. This has been seen in the last two matches. Shreyas Iyer’s bat has also become rusty. Cooper Connolly has scored a century but there is no consistency in his performance. Amidst the growing troubles, it remains to be seen how PBKS makes a comeback. His path to the playoffs is easy but he will have to take his game to the top to finish in the top-2.
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