Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer expressed disappointment over his team’s bowling and fielding performance after PBKS suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026. Delhi Capitals successfully chased down a daunting 211-run target to seal a thrilling three-wicket victory in Dharamsala.
Despite early breakthroughs from Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur, Punjab Kings failed to maintain control as Delhi Capitals batters David Miller and Axar Patel smashed crucial half-centuries to guide their side to victory.
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Speaking after the match, Iyer admitted that Punjab Kings lacked proper planning and felt the team had posted a score well above par on the challenging surface.
“I won’t beat around the bush; fielding and bowling cost us again. I genuinely believe we were at least 30 runs above par considering the conditions. The ball was seaming and there was variable bounce,” Iyer said.
The PBKS skipper also revealed that bringing spinner Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack was considered, but the conditions heavily favoured the pacers.
“There was a thought about bowling Chahal, but the pitch was helping seamers. If we had executed our line and length properly, we could have taken more wickets. Unfortunately, we failed again,” he added.
Iyer further stressed the importance of disciplined bowling on such surfaces, stating that hard lengths and consistent short-of-length deliveries were the key to success against new batters.
Earlier, Punjab Kings posted a formidable 210/5 after being put in to bat. Opener Priyansh Arya played an aggressive knock of 56 off 33 balls, while Prabhsimran Singh contributed 18 during a quickfire 78-run opening partnership.
After the openers departed, captain Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings with an unbeaten 59 off 36 deliveries, while Cooper Connolly chipped in with 38 off 27 balls.
In response, Delhi Capitals were in trouble at 74/4 before Axar Patel’s 56 and David Miller’s 51 revived the chase. Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari later finished the job as DC reached 216/7 in just 19 overs.
For Delhi Capitals, Mitchell Starc and Madhav Tiwari picked up two wickets each. Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler for Punjab Kings with figures of 2/21, while Ben Dwarshuis and Marcus Stoinis claimed a wicket apiece.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
