“Sunrisers Hyderabad showed us how to win,” grumbled Shreyas Iyer after Punjab Kings’ third straight loss in the Indian Premier League. The Kings, who have gone through opponents in the first half of the 2026 season, are now trying to do anything on the court.
After a fairy-tale beginning, where everything fell into place, reality is now catching up with them. Small errors – a mis-pitched length, a forced shot, a misjudged catch – started piling up for Punjab at a crucial stage of the season. It was the same moments that went in their favor earlier in the tournament. They are not now.
SRH vs PBKS: MAIN | SCORECARD
Kings lost to Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans, and now Sunrisers Hyderabadthereby relinquishing their place at the top of the table. The runs are not coming and to make matters worse the team is unable to keep most of their catches in play. What once looked like a well-rounded side is now showing signs of strain.
“Their biggest problem is that their bowlers are not supported by their fielders,” said Saba Karim after Punjab’s loss to SRH.
Their leading man Yuzvendra Chahal has created 17 chances this season. Of these, Punjab has dropped by eight. At the start of the season, these chances stuck and helped Punjab control the matches. Not in the last three games. On 6 May, Punjab dismissed Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen – two players who went on to have match-defining innings.
“I feel we had a fabulous start. Everyone was in a great space, the mindset was top-notch. It’s easy to get sidetracked. If we continue in the same form, it won’t help us. But we have to go back and reflect on what went wrong in the last three games. We have to come back strong,” Iyer said after the match telecast.
One of the main reasons for Punjab’s defeats can be attributed to the loss of form in their front three, but even that reflects how their campaign has moved over the past week.
BEST DECKS FOR PBKS fail
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and Iyer – Punjab’s three main batsmen this season – have failed to cross the 20-run mark in the last two matches. The openers form Punjab’s mainstay of aggressive cricket, much like SRH’s Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. When this foundation was in operation, the Punjab could dictate terms. Not in the last two games, and the rest of the batting has not been able to absorb that pressure.
Most of the runs didn’t come from any other batter either. Punjab repeatedly found themselves playing to chase totals that should have been restricted to lower scores. That’s a shift from how their season started.
Had Punjab maintained their chances in the last three matches, they might not have had to concede 228 against Rajasthan Royals and 235 against SRH. Earlier in the season, their deployment helped cover those phases. Now the same stages decide matches.
But in a long tournament, stages like these also offer a reset.
Punjab’s last stretch of matches could play in their favour, especially as the team returns to home conditions. A three-game run in Dharamsala gives them a chance to settle in after a difficult spell and regain control of their campaign.
The Iyer-led team is still well placed in the table with 13 points from 10 matches. As they face three bottom-ranked teams in their last four games, they have an opportunity to hold on to the top two spots.
The pillow gave them a fairytale start. What happens next will depend on how quickly they react now that things don’t fit so easily anymore.
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Published on:
07 May 2026 10:57 IST
