Punjab Kings (PBKS) are yet to win in May 2026, and the trend continued last night as they went down to the 5-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in a thriller at Dharamsala. This is their 5th consecutive loss this season. After winning 6 of their first 7 games, including a No Result, PBKS have fallen from grace and are now in danger of dropping out of the top 4 should other teams capitalise. There were multiple opportunities for PBKS, and they missed them. Last night, they missed out on the crunch moments, and we will try to list them out for you.
Losing 6/33 from overs 11-17 dented PBKS’ momentum.Â
PBKS started solidly after being asked to bat first. Priyansh Arya wasn’t at his fluent best but still got a start, while Prabhsimran rode his luck as he was dropped twice on his way to another half-century. PBKS got a solid opening stand of 50 before Arya fell to Deepak Chahar. Thereafter, Cooper Connolly joined Prabhsimran, and they went about their business well. The power play score was decent at 55/1, and they played the initial middle phase well. The partnership for the second wicket was 57, and the score was 107 in 11.1 overs, and the platform was set for another 210-220 score.
But then the twist happened, Prabhsimran, after reaching his half-century, fell for 57 at the score of 107, and that elicited a collapse. Captain Shreyas Iyer came and hit a first-ball boundary before getting out on the next ball. Cooper Connolly fell soon after for 21. Suryansh Shedge came and did not last long as wickets continued to tumble courtesy of Shardul Thakur. Shashank Singh did not last long, and Marco Jansen came and went as PBKS went from 107/1 in 11.1 overs to 140/7 in 16.2 overs.
That they still got to 200 was due to great death overs batting from Omarzai and then from Vishnu Vinod and Xavier Bartlett. MI were sloppy in the field and allowed 50-plus runs in the last 3 overs. 200 was a good score, but had they not lost these many wickets in the middle phase, then maybe 220-230 may have been achieved. 200 was defendable but not necessarily a winning score. Looking ahead, Punjab can ill afford to have these collapses in the middle/end overs, as that disrupts the momentum of the side. They need to work on this aspect.
Inability to stop Tilak Varma owing to missed opportunity and bad bowling costs PBKS the match.Â
Chasing 201 for the win, MI got off to a solid start thanks mainly to Ryan Rickelton, who was quick off the blocks even as Rohit struggled to time the ball. Rickelton scored 48 off the 61-run opening stand for the first wicket inside 7 overs. Rickelton fell. Rohit picked up the pace a little and added 20 runs with Naman Dhir before Naman fell for a low score. Rohit fell soon after to leave MI in a spot of bother at 88/3 in the 10th over. Tilak came into bat when the score was 81/2 in 8.5 overs. At 88/3, it was all PBKS, but Tilak & co had other ideas.
Tilak Varma came out all guns blazing after getting his eye in and scored the bulk of the runs in the 61-run stand for the 4th wicket with Sherfane Rutherford. PBKS bowlers bowled badly and were off the radar as Tilak punished them through good cricketing shots. Tilak was the star and was looking unstoppable out there. There was a catch opportunity when Tilak miscued the ball down to long-on, where Marco Jansen made good ground to take the catch, could not hold onto it. Tilak got the reprieve and made the most of the opportunity and stayed till the end.
The Punjab bowlers just could not find their right lines and lengths and bowled in the slot for Tilak, who played some exceptional shots to put pressure on the Kings. PBKS seriously needs to get their bowling right and combinations as well. The Kings started well in defending the score and got the wickets, but could not close it out and drive home the advantage. The match was there for the taking, and they missed out big time.
Marco Jansen & Xavier Bartlett going the distance exposed PBKS’ bowling stocks.Â
Another important thing to notice and point out was the bowling display by the Punjab Kings, and especially two players, both of whom are foreigners. Shreyas Iyer and the team management decided to use 5 bowlers only despite their being the Impact Player rule. Once that call was made, the risk it brought with it is if a bowler is having an off-day. Add to the woes, if two bowlers are going on the journey and there is no 6th bowler, then the team is in real trouble. That is what happened with Punjab last night.
Two of their overseas recruits were taken to the cleaners. Marco Jansen went for 55 runs in 4 overs despite picking up a wicket. It included 22 runs that he conceded in the 18th over, which was bowled to Tilak Varma and Will Jacks. That really changed the complexion of the game. Jansen hasn’t got his lines and lengths right this season and is paying the price for it. The other bowler that went for plenty was Xavier Bartlett. He was not given the new ball and came later on.
He was taken to the cleaners as MI targeted these two bowlers and made up for the tight overs bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Bartlett was taken to the cleaners in his first three overs and was tasked to bowl the final over with 15 runs to win for the batting side. Jack hit him for a maximum, before Tilak came and smashed him for back-to-back maximums to finish the game as Bartlett went for 53 runs in 3.5 overs. Even Chahal’s last over went for around 20 runs, but he bowled well, and so did Arshdeep, who did not take a wicket. Omarzai was the best bowler with 2/36 in 4 overs.
We know Marcus Stoinis was ill among other players, but PBKS seriously need to look at their bowling and wonder how to get better with what they have available. They need to put more runs on the board and score may 10-20 above par to save their bowling. It seems they can’t defend par totals, and that is something which will concern them going ahead in the business end of the tournament.
What Lies Ahead
So, PBKS has lost 5 in a row and now has serious work to do for a place in the playoffs. They next play their last home game against RCB in Dharamsala on Sunday afternoon in a huge game for both teams. MI will next face KKR on 20th May at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Tonight, it is another huge game as LSG hosts CSK in Lucknow, with the visitors, the Men in Yellow, in must-win territory. Can CSK keep their playoff hopes alive and climb to 4th in the table with a win? Only time will tell.
We are all set for the clash, and let’s wait and watch how the clash pans out in Lucknow.
Also Read: PBKS vs MI: Tilak Varma’s Outstanding 75* Spoils PBKS’ Party