Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign has suddenly lost steam at the business end of the season. After spending most of the first half comfortably inside the top two, four consecutive defeats have completely shifted the mood around the team and tightened the playoff race. What once looked like a side cruising towards qualification is now under serious pressure heading into the final stretch of the league stage.
There is a growing sense that Punjab may have peaked too early in the tournament. Their recent performances have lacked the sharpness and control that defined their strong start, and the slump has arrived at the worst possible time. Monday night’s defeat against Delhi Capitals was another major setback and served as a wake-up call for the side. With the points table getting increasingly crowded, Punjab can no longer afford slip-ups and now likely need to win at least two of their remaining three matches to keep their playoff hopes firmly alive.
With Punjab Kings slipping to four straight defeats, some of skipper Shreyas Iyer’s decisions have also started coming under scrutiny. It is only natural, considering he received widespread praise when Punjab were dominating teams during the early phase of the season.
After failing to defend a 211-run target vs DC, Iyer’s call to not bowl ace spinner Yuzvendra Chahal came under the scanner and he was asked whether there was a thought in his mind, maybe get an over of Chahal in between, to which he replied; “There was absolutely a thought in my mind, 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.”
Delhi Capitals still alive in playoffs race
Delhi Capitals kept their playoff hopes alive with a thrilling three-wicket win over Punjab Kings in a high-scoring contest at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Monday. Chasing a daunting target, DC were powered by aggressive half-centuries from captain Axar Patel and David Miller, who led the side to one of the franchise’s most memorable run chases. Delhi crossed the finish line with an over remaining, piling more pressure on Punjab in the race to the playoffs.
Punjab’s bowling attack struggled badly under pressure. Apart from Arshdeep Singh, none of the seamers managed to control the scoring rate on a batting-friendly surface. Arshdeep stood out with figures of 2/21, but the rest of the attack leaked runs at over 10 an over, allowing DC batters to dictate terms throughout the chase. Punjab’s decision not to use Chahal also became a major talking point after the defeat.
