Punjab Kings’ Shashank Singh bowls a catch against Sunrisers Hyderabad. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings batsman Shashank Singh has once again come under heavy scrutiny after yet another costly failure in the field during PBKS’ 33-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 on Wednesday.What started as an isolated error earlier in the season has now become a major problem for Punjab Kings as Shashank has dropped five catches in the last three matches – a worrying trend at a crucial stage of the tournament.
Watch
James Hopes reacts after PBKS loss, calls it ‘reality check’The final error came at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad when Shashank dropped a crucial chance offered by Heinrich Klaasen off the bowling of Yuzvend Chahal. At that point, Klaasen was batting just nine runs.SRH’s batter made Punjab pay dearly for the missed opportunity, smashing 69 off 43 deliveries and completely shifting the momentum in Hyderabad’s favour.
Costly outages in the field again hurt PBKS
Shashank’s latest drop has added to an already difficult IPL season in the field.Earlier, he took three catches against Lucknow Super Giants and also dropped KL Rahul during Punjab’s match against Delhi Capitals. One of those moments against LSG went particularly viral after he misjudged an attempted catch on the boundary.Shashank recently returned from a hamstring strain that forced him to miss matches against Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans, but his matches resumed immediately after his return.Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting admitted that the batter was going through a rough phase.“Poor Shashank Singh, the ball seems to be flying everywhere he goes,” Ponting remarked during the match.Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer also pointed directly to the missed chances after the loss.“It was a bit too much because we dropped catches early on. The wicket kept getting slower. They played comprehensive cricket and showed us how to win the match,” Iyer said. “We were not comprehensive enough on the field, not in bowling, not in batting.Meanwhile, Punjab’s woes overall proved costly against SRH. Cooper Connolly dropped Ishan Kishan early in the innings, while Lockie Ferguson and Prabhsimran Singh also missed crucial opportunities.The reprieve allowed SRH to post a massive 235/4, powered by Klaasen’s 69 and Kishan’s 55.In reply, PBKS were restricted to 202/7 despite Cooper Connolly’s sensational unbeaten 107.The defeat marked Punjab’s third straight loss, although they still remain second in the points table with six wins from 10 matches. Meanwhile, SRH climbed to the top with seven wins from 11 games.
