After being unbeaten for the first 7 games, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been given a reality check after losing back-to-back games in IPL 2026. They lost a high-scoring thriller against RR in New Chandigarh and now lost a low-scoring one in Ahmedabad to the Gujarat Titans (GT). GT played the better game and deserved the win, while Punjab were found wanting in terms of execution in certain areas. They tried their best to make a match out of it, but eventually fell short in the end. We will list out three reasons for their loss last night.
Losing 5/47 inside 9 overs put PBKS on the back foot
PBKS were inserted to bat first on a challenging surface. But the Punjab batting got exposed last night as the top order crumbled under pressure for the first time this season. Priyansh Arya, after surviving a dropped chance, was dismissed on the second ball for 2 runs. Thereafter, Cooper Connolly came and went for a golden duck. Shreyas Iyer came and survived the hat-trick ball as well. Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas built some sort of a 33-run stand before Singh was dismissed as well.
PBKS had lost three wickets inside the power play and were reeling at 35/3 in the 6th over. Thereafter, Nehal Wadhera fell cheaply, and then the captain, after hanging in there for a bit, fell for 19 as PBKS were reduced to 47/5 in 8.4 overs. The game was as good as over here as the main batters, including Shreyas, had walked back to the hut. From here, getting to 130-140 was a task as GT were all over the Punjab Kings. The league leaders did not know what hit them.
That they managed to recover and get to 163/9 will hold them in good stead and will give positives to take back from. Suryansh Shedge did well and scored his maiden half-century, while Marcus Stoinis made an invaluable contribution alongside Marco Jansen as well. These three should be given the credit for the score of 163, which was defendable but slightly below par. But PBKS fought with this total. Going ahead, the aim will be to avoid top-order batting collapses of this nature less.
Inability to strike with the new ball dented the chances of PBKS
PBKS posted 163/9 on the board. But for them to make a match out of it, they needed early wickets to put the top-heavy Gujarat under pressure. Yes, the Kings managed to get GT skipper Shubman Gill early as Arshdeep Singh struck for them at the score of 16 in the second over. But that was the only success they got. The duo of Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler were too good to handle and took the game away from the opposition.
The Punjab bowlers did not bowl the right lines and lengths and were inconsistent with it compared to the Gujarat bowlers. This allowed the likes of Sai and Buttler to forge a 53-run stand for the second wicket to keep GT on track. The power play score was 58/1 in 6 overs. PBKS were 36/3 at the same stage. So, the power play overs made a difference, and the Kings lagged in those. They never had GT under serious pressure as the bowlers lacked the wherewithal to strike.
Going forward, PBKS needs to be clinical in all departments of the game in order to do well and come back to winning ways. They have done most of the things right this season. But they have fallen behind in their last two games. They will want to erase these two defeats and come back stronger in their next outing. They will just have to go back to the drawing board and find solutions to the current problems they are facing. They made a match out of nothing, but still, a loss is a loss.
Underutilisation of Yuzvendra Chahal with the ball in hand exposes tactical ineffectiveness
Another glaring error committed by the Punjab Kings and their captain, Shreyas Iyer, was the underutilisation of Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal has been in decent form this season, sometimes going for runs in an odd game. But he is a wicket-taker and has done a fine job for his side in the past. He is an experienced campaigner and has been in tough situations before. But somewhere, captain Shreyas made a blunder in the utilisation of Chahal in the match, and that proved to be their undoing.
Chahal was first introduced very late in the piece and bowled a single over in which he gave away 13 runs. After that, he was not used at all, which was a major surprise for all of us. Yes, two left-handers might have been batting together, but that does not mean he cannot bowl. Overemphasis on match-ups is just too much to take nowadays. When two lefties were batting, the captain chose the off-spinner to the left-hander. They do it without realising it, and then it’s too late. Chahal is an experienced campaigner and should be utilised at the earliest.
So, PBKS will want to sort this out soon and get things right tactically to come back in the tournament. They are still well-placed and will be happy they got a wake-up call here rather than in the latter stages of the tournament. Iyer needs to use Chahal better and try completing his quota of overs. Giving him only one over, when the pitch is spinning a tad, did not make sense to anyone watching the game. The aim will be for optimum utilisation of resources.
What Lies Ahead
Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings both have matches coming their way in the upcoming week, where IPL heats up for a grand finish. They will have their remaining fixtures soon. Tonight, it’s MI hosting LSG in a 9th vs 10th battle at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Let’s see who comes out on top in this clash.
Also Read:Â GT VS PBKS: Jason Holder & Washington Sundar Help GT Pull Off A Thriller.