Skipper Shreyas Iyer did not mince words after Punjab Kings slumped to their fourth successive defeat, blaming the team’s bowling and fielding after failing to defend what he felt was a total “30 runs more” than par on a tricky pitch against Delhi Capitals.

PBKS lost by three wickets to Delhi Capitals in a home IPL game in Dharamsala on Monday.

Iyer’s Disappointment With Punjab Kings’ Performance

“I won’t beat around the bush, I’ll just say fielding and bowling again,” Iyer said.

Priyansh Arya hit half a dozen sixes in his whirlwind 33-ball 56 before DC pacers tweaked their lengths to limit Punjab Kings to 210 for five. Besides Arya, Iyer made 59 not out off 36 balls to push PBKS to to 210 for 5 on a wicket that had something for the fast bowlers.

Aggressive knocks from David Miller (51 off 28) and skipper Axar Patel (56 off 30) allowed DC to gun down 211 in 19 overs for the highest chase at the HPCA Stadium.

Assessing The Score And Bowling Strategy

Asked if he thought 210 was a good score on this wicket, Iyer said: “Absolutely, I feel that it was 30 runs more on this wicket considering how the ball was seaming and there was variable bounce.”

Iyer said he thought of bringing in impact substitute Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack but changed his mind witnessing the assistance for the seamers from the pitch.

“There was absolutely a thought in my mind (on introducing Chahal), but the way ball was seaming and the way it was helping seamers, I think if we would have executed our line and length precisely, we could have been able to extract wickets, but unfortunately again, we didn’t.

Focus On Execution And Planning

“I always say that the hard length – short of a hard length – is the best ball, especially when a new batsman is coming in. It’s not easy to hit because if you keep repeating those balls, at least one ball gives a chance of mis-hitting and you can get a wicket. We’ve been short of planning,” he said.

Delhi Capitals’ Perspective

Winning captain Axar Patel said DC executed their plans well in the crucial moments against Punjab Kings, an area where the side had previously fallen short.

“Since last time I have been saying we are losing the crucial moments. We are a good team, playing a good cricket but not winning those crucial moments. Really happy with the way we played and hopefully we continue playing like this,” he said.

“The first 3-4 overs we went for 60 runs and we pulled things back. In the middle overs the way Madhav and Mukesh bowled were the winning moments.

“Even with the bat, after my dismissal the way Miller, Ashutosh and Madhav batted it was great. The ball was swinging and seaming, we didn’t bowl in the right areas in the first 3-4 overs but it was doing something right through, that’s why I didn’t use spin.”

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Urvil Patelhas equalled the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL by smashing a half-century off 13 balls against Lucknow Super Giants at Chepauk. He shares the record with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who brought up his half-century off 13 balls on the way to 98 not out against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in IPL 2023.

Urvil came to bat at number three after Sanju Samson fell early and hit six sixes off his first eight balls, also an IPL record. He had reached 41 runs off his first eight balls only, and the next two went for a single and a dot.

Urvil somehow managed to keep going even beyond the powerplay overs, ending with a 23-ball 65. He showed no mercy to pace or spin, hitting three consecutive sixes against pacer Avesh Khan before smacking three maximums and a four against spinner Digvesh Rathi for back-to-back 25-run overs.

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that while his side enjoyed a “fairytale” start to the 2026 IPL season, their recent slump is a worrying sign heading into the business end of the tournament.

Punjab had emerged as the team to beat with six wins from their first seven matches, but have since suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 33-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Wednesday.

“I feel we got a fairytale start in the tournament, and everyone was in a great space. If we are going to continue with the same form, that’s not going to help us,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.

Punjab Kings’ Fielding Woes

The Kings endured yet another disappointing outing in the field, with dropped catches and missed stumpings proving costly.

“It (the target) was a bit too much because we dropped catches at the start and we could have easily delayed their score by 30 to 40 runs. The wicket kept getting slower. They played comprehensive cricket, and showed us how to win the match.”

Cooper Connolly’s Standout Performance

The lone bright spot for Punjab was Cooper Connolly’s unbeaten century in his debut IPL season.

“Connolly is phenomenal. His mindset is top notch and the character he brings onto the field. It’s something that all players can learn from him. And apart from that, I feel that he’s got a knack of scoring big runs in pressure situations.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Victory

With the win, Sunrisers Hyderabad moved to the top of the points table, and skipper Pat Cummins was pleased with his side’s all-round performance.

“Punjab are a really good side. I thought the batters to get off to what we did was sensational. No matter what the score is, bowling second against that side was clinical,” Cummins said.

“We’re pretty good at playing it at our pace. It’s just trying to max out. It gripped a little bit, which suits our bowlers. We’ve seen it before; we can adjust.”

Cummins’ Impactful Return

The Australian had missed the first few games as he recovered form his back injury and was adjudged the player-of-the-match for his 2/34 that included the prized wickets of his counterpart Iyer and opener Priyansh Arya.

“I fell really good. Came into this fresh. Not much has worked for any team in the powerplay, really. We’ve got lots of options,” Cummins added.