A six-match losing streak meant Punjab Kings never truly had their fate in their own hands. They did arrest the slide with captain Shreyas Iyer smashing a sensational century in PBKS’s final league game of the IPL 2026 season, but even that was not enough. With the Rajasthan Royals beating the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on the final day of the league phase, Punjab were knocked out. A year after reaching the final for the first time in nine years, PBKS finished fifth in the table, just one point short despite boasting a superior net run rate to the Royals, who sealed the final playoff berth.
During that six-match losing streak, Shreyas’ sister, Shresta, was relentlessly trolled on social media over the viral “ditta ek point” clip. The video had originally been posted earlier in the season during PBKS’s six-match winning streak. It came after Punjab’s match against the Kolkata Knight Riders — who were then enduring a losing streak — was washed out due to rain, forcing the two teams to share a point each.
The clip did not sit well even with sections of the PBKS fanbase, and Shresta was repeatedly reminded of it throughout Punjab’s second-half collapse, which eventually ended in elimination. The trolling soon escalated into online abuse.
Reacting to the backlash, Shresta released a two-part video on Instagram to clarify the intent behind the original reel and condemn the abuse directed at her and her family.
“The video that I had created earlier, you guys exaggerated it to extremes, when the motive of the reel was just a fun banter,” she said. “I wasn’t trolling anyone, I had no bad intentions behind the banter. I wasn’t spreading hate against anyone. I respect every cricketer because my brother is a cricketer.”
She also revealed the extent of the harassment she had endured, saying the abuse spilled beyond social media and even reached her workplace and people associated with her.
“I pity you guys,” she added. “You have been calling my workplace, abusing me, my colleagues, my students and my family. Harassing them and calling at random times.”
Shresta further stated that while she can deal with criticism aimed at her personally, dragging her family and professional circle into the abuse was unacceptable.
“If you want to hate me, please continue doing that, but stop harassing people affiliated with me. I am not here to tell what is right or wrong. I will celebrate my brother — whether he wins or loses, I will always celebrate him.”
KKR and PBKS endured contrasting campaigns in IPL 2026, and yet both ultimately finished in the bottom half of the table at the end of the league phase.
Punjab won six of their first seven matches before crashing into a six-game losing streak that exposed poor tactical decisions with both bat and ball, alongside repeated catching lapses. They eventually won their final game, but still finished fifth.
Kolkata, meanwhile, lost five of their opening six matches before bouncing back with six wins in their next seven games — a run that included a Super Over victory against the Lucknow Super Giants and briefly revived their playoff hopes. However, a defeat to the Delhi Capitals in their final league game saw them finish seventh in the table.
