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It’s been a tough two weeks for Punjab Kings. They were sitting on the throne, racing towards the playoffs. But as they prepare for a high-voltage clash against Mumbai Indians at the high altitude of Dharamsala, last season’s finalists are looking shaky.
Four losses on the bounce have dragged them to fourth on the points table, which is increasingly crowded in the middle. They have three games and their fate is in their own hands. Win all three and they are assured of a top-two finish. Slip, and they might not even make the playoffs — a disaster, considering how commanding they looked after seven matches, unbeaten in all of them.
And nothing keeps critics quiet like success. Punjab Kings have witnessed that first-hand. As they spiralled into the losing streak, the chatter on social media began. “Bloggers,” as assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves put it, have been speculating about a rift in the camp and players not on the same page with the captain. They have alleged that Prabhsimran Singh, for whom runs have dried up in recent games, has gained 10 kg during the course of the season. Add to that the chatter around how certain Punjab Kings players have used social media, leading to controversies the BCCI wanted to clamp down upon.
Punjab Kings are heading into their second game of the season in Dharamsala, this time against Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the playoffs race and playing for pride. On Monday, their bowling and fielding — which has been a big concern this season — let them down once again as they failed to defend 211 against Delhi Capitals.
The franchise has had enough. Preity Zinta took to X, drawing a line between criticism and “calculated misinformation.” The official Punjab Kings account followed. Gonsalves, arriving at the pre-match press conference with a straight back and no apparent interest in being wounded, put it plainly: “Any blogger and any person can put something on social media and there are lakhs of people agreeing to it.” Prabhsimran, for his part, offered a more wordless rebuttal — a photo by a quiet Dharamsala riverside, shirtless, a finger on his lips. The team, it appears, has said what it had to say and moved on.
But the focus for Punjab Kings is on the game in hand.
TALKING POINTS
Point to prove for Prabhsimran Singh
After weeks of noise about his fitness and a run of lean scores, Dharamsala — his home turf, his kind of pitch — is the perfect stage for Prabhsimran to remind everyone what the conversation should actually be about.
No Hardik Pandya: The mystery continues
Four games, four absences, one vague explanation about a back spasm — Hardik Pandya was spotted training in Mumbai on Tuesday but has not travelled to Dharamsala, and Mumbai Indians have offered nothing beyond the official line.
Can Punjab stop the bleeding with the ball?
Seven times in 11 games, Punjab Kings have conceded over 200 — a number that tells its own story about a bowling unit that has been both expensive and inconsistent, and one that cannot afford another meltdown at a venue where the ball flies. They definitely need to catch, catch better.
PBKS vs MI: HEAD-TO-HEAD
There is not much to separate Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, with both sides having won 17 each of their 35 meetings. However, in the last two years, Punjab have won three on the bounce, including the one at Wankhede Stadium earlier this season where they chased down 196 in just 16.3 overs.
DHARAMSALA WEATHER AND PITCH CONDITIONS
The practice session on the eve of the game was washed out due to rain. Showers are expected on matchday too, but the forecast suggests the game will not be washed out entirely. Expect interruptions, but two points will be up for grabs.
The pitch in Dharamsala has favoured batting, but pace bowlers will find movement in the hills. Interestingly, both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings did not bowl a single over of spin on Monday. Historically, however, spinners have fared considerably better at this venue in T20s — 44 wickets at an economy of 8.22 and an average of 26.95, compared to seamers’ 134 wickets at 9.02 economy and an average of 29.52. Will Yuzvendra Chahal get to bowl?
The small size of the boundaries and the late-evening dew make bowling second at this venue a nightmare. Gonsalves hinted that a fresh pitch with different characteristics will be in play on Wednesday. But with overnight rain, how different it actually plays from Monday’s surface remains to be seen. Regardless, expect the ball to fly off the bat.
TEAM NEWS AND PLAYING XI PREDICTION
Mumbai Indians will be without Hardik Pandya again. While the franchise has maintained he has missed their last four games due to a back spasm, social media is rife with rumours about a possible fallout. Hardik was seen training in Mumbai on Tuesday evening but has not travelled to Dharamsala. Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav also did not travel with the team but is expected to link up with the squad.
Mumbai Indians may also look to play an extra pacer in Shardul Thakur or Ashwani Kumar in place of leg-spinner Raghu Sharma.
For Punjab Kings, changes to the bowling line-up appear imminent. On Monday, they dropped Vyshak Vijaykumar — one of their most consistent bowlers — for Yash Thakur, and the move backfired. Vyshak is likely to return. They may also look at bringing back Xavier Bartlett, whose form tapered off after a bright start to the season, possibly in place of Ben Dwarshuis, who conceded 51 in four overs against Delhi Capitals, to break the pattern of three left-arm fast bowlers.
PREDICTED XIs: PBKS vs MI
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Sub: Yuzvendra Chahal
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Will Jacks, Raj Angad Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Sub: Ashwani Kumar
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