Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign has taken a worrying turn after the team suffered its sixth consecutive defeat, this time against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala. After a dream start to the season, PBKS now finds its playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer openly admitted that the match slipped away during the powerplay. According to him, RCB’s aggressive batting approach in the first six overs created pressure that Punjab Kings failed to recover from.
Batting first on a difficult Dharamsala surface, RCB got off to a flying start and reached 61/1 in the powerplay. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal attacked the PBKS bowling unit from the beginning and kept the scoreboard moving quickly. Their strong opening stand laid the foundation for RCB’s imposing total of 222 runs.
In response, Punjab Kings had the exact opposite start. RCB bowlers struck early and reduced PBKS to 49/3 inside the powerplay itself. Both openers and captain Shreyas Iyer were dismissed cheaply, putting the chase under pressure almost immediately.
Speaking after the match, Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that Punjab Kings failed to pick up wickets early while bowling and also could not build momentum with the bat. He felt the team lost control of the game during those crucial first six overs.
The defeat has seriously hurt the playoff chances of Punjab Kings. The team had looked unstoppable in the first half of the IPL 2026, remaining unbeaten in seven matches with six wins and one draw. However, the sudden losing streak has pushed them into a difficult position where they may now need other match results to go in their favour, even if they win their final league game.
Shreyas Iyer also pointed out that losing three wickets early disrupted Punjab Kings’ usual batting rhythm. The team especially missed the attacking starts generally provided by Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya at the top of the order.
Will PBKS manage to enter the play-offs? What do you think?
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