Punjab Kings lost their sixth straight match in the Indian Premier League 2026 season, pushing themselves to the brink of elimination from the playoffs race. A team that remained unbeaten through the first half of the season has suddenly fallen apart and cannot seem to buy a win at the moment.
While the on-field performances have been disappointing, Punjab have also faced scrutiny over several off-field controversies. From Yuzvendra Chahal’s in-flight vaping video to Arshdeep Singh calling Tilak Varma ‘andhere’, issues have piled up for the Shreyas Iyer-led side one after another.
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However, as Punjab stare at the possibility of missing out on the playoffs, bowling coach James Hopes does not believe that off-field controversies are responsible for the team’s downfall.
According to Hopes, Punjab’s season unravelled because they repeatedly failed to control momentum in games. He said the side kept surrendering key moments during matches, which eventually resulted in their string of defeats in the second half of the campaign.
“I don’t think any off-field stuff derailed our campaign. What derailed our campaign was our inability to take control of momentum in games. Every time it looked like we were about to do it, we’d do something to hurt ourselves or trip ourselves up,” James Hopes said at the post-match press conference on Sunday, May 17.
LOSS DOESN’T AFFECT MY MOOD: SHREYAS IYER
Playing in Dharamsala on Sunday, Punjab conceded 222 runs against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Any hopes of chasing down the target faded quickly after Punjab lost three wickets inside the first four overs of the innings.
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shreyas Iyer all fell for single-digit scores as Bhuvneshwar Kumar dominated the powerplay.
Reacting to the loss, Shreyas Iyer blamed the top order, including himself, for the defeat. The Punjab captain admitted that the side failed to get the kind of start it had relied on throughout the season.
“We were three down and the majority of our run scorers were Prabhsimran and Priyansh. The starts they used to give us in the powerplay, obviously we couldn’t get this time and also me coming in and getting out early. Really disappointed,” Shreyas Iyer said.
Despite the loss, Shreyas said he remained hopeful about Punjab’s playoff chances and insisted that defeats do not affect his outlook as a person. The captain added that he does not dwell too much on setbacks and believes there is still a chance for the team to turn things around.
“I’m always positive irrespective of the results. It doesn’t dictate how my personality is and I always approach with a strong attitude. I’m not someone who dwells too much in the past. This is over, this is gone. Tomorrow again I’m going to see the sunrise and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” Shreyas concluded.
Punjab Kings concluded their Dharamsala leg with three defeats in three matches. They will now travel to Lucknow for their final group-stage game of the season against Lucknow Super Giants.
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