Marco Jansen and captain Shreyas Iyer of Punjab Kings react after the match. (NOT a photo)
NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer did not hide his disappointment after they slumped to a fifth straight defeat in IPL 2026, terming the latest loss against Mumbai Indians as a “tough pill to swallow”.Already eliminated MI were chasing 201 with six wickets in hand in Dharamsala on Thursday, leaving PBKS on 13 points from 12 matches and under a lot of pressure in the play-off race.“Well, it’s absolutely a tough pill to swallow but I don’t want to put any situation here because it was a great game of cricket. A well fought game,” Shreyas said after the match.Tilak turns the game awayAfter posting 200 for 8, Punjab looked in control but Tilak Varma’s incredible unbeaten 75 off 33 balls took the game away.Shreyas acknowledged the left-hander’s role in the chase and praised the way he handled the innings under pressure.“He played amazing. He picked his shots quite well and maneuvered the court well, so credit goes to him,” he said.Tilak anchored the chase after a quick start from Ryan Rickelton who smashed 48 off 23. Later, Will Jacks with 25 off 10 helped Mumbai complete the chase with one ball to spare.Omarzai’s late burst gave PBKS hopePunjab seemed headed for a much lower total after collapsing from a strong position. Prabhsimran Singh top-scored with 57, but a middle-order collapse triggered by Shardul Thakur’s four wickets saw them falter.Shreyas highlighted Azmatullah Omarzai’s late cameo as the turning point in their innings.“We were looking at around 170 to 180 at one stage and he simply changed the momentum from there. When we got those runs for sixes, from the 16th or 17th over, we got the momentum. To get to 200 was a commendable performance from him,” he said.Now you have to win for PBKSPunjab now face two must-win matches, starting with the afternoon clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.“We are definitely looking forward to the next opportunity. It’s an afternoon game and we have to win two out of two. It’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait to play them,” Shreyas said.After leading early this season, PBKS are now one defeat away from a dramatic collapse.
