“I won’t beat around the bush, I’ll just say fielding and bowling again.”
Shreyas Iyer’s brutally honest assessment after Punjab Kings’ three-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals in Dharamshala was not the reaction of a captain searching for diplomatic answers. It was the response of a skipper watching a familiar problem derail his side yet again.
Punjab Kings posted 210 for 5 on a surface where Iyer believed they were at least “30 runs above par”, given the assistance on offer for fast bowlers through seam movement and variable bounce. Yet Delhi Capitals chased the target down in just 19 overs, handing PBKS a fourth straight defeat and deepening concerns around a bowling attack that has repeatedly failed to close out games.
For Iyer, this was not just about one bad evening.
A pattern PBKS can no longer ignore
Since his move to Punjab Kings last season, PBKS have become one of the most vulnerable bowling units in the IPL when it comes to defending big totals. They have conceded 200-plus totals 10 times, the second-most by any team in that period. More alarmingly, they have lost four of those matches, highlighting a recurring inability to control high-pressure moments.
This season alone, the issue has become impossible to ignore. Punjab have conceded 200 or more in seven of their 10 matches, a staggering number for a team still trying to stay afloat in the playoff race.
The frustration becomes easier to understand when viewed through the finer details of Monday’s defeat.
PBKS had Delhi reeling early, picking up wickets and seemingly putting themselves in command. But once Axar Patel and David Miller settled, the plans unravelled. Punjab leaked extras, dropped key chances, missed their lengths, and failed to create scoreboard pressure despite conditions favouring seam bowling.
Execution, not intent, remains the problem
Iyer even admitted there had been a thought of bringing in Yuzvendra Chahal, but the team backed pace because of the pitch conditions.
“There was absolutely a thought but unfortunately again, we didn’t execute.”
That final word, execute, perhaps best captures Punjab’s problem. This is not a team lacking batting firepower. Scoring 200-plus has become routine. The issue is what happens after.
With Mumbai Indians next and the playoff race tightening, PBKS cannot afford to keep repeating the same script. For all the optimism around staying in the hunt, Iyer’s increasingly blunt tone suggests patience is beginning to wear thin.
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