Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer has said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru batters are getting off to a great start and taking his team’s bowling attack apart in the powerplay was a major reason why PBKS suffered their sixth consecutive loss in IPL 2026.
On a challenging Dharamsala pitch, RCB got off to a flying start, racing to 61/1 in the powerplay as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal put the PBKS bowlers under immediate pressure.
In reply, PBKS endured a tough start in the power play. RCB’s bowlers reduced them to 49/3 with three early strikes, dismissing both openers and skipper Iyer to leave the chase on shaky ground from the outset.
The loss was Punjab Kings’ sixth on the trot, dealing another major blow to their playoff hopes. After dominating
the first half of the season with an undefeated run of seven games, six victories and a draw, PBKS now faces the prospect of depending on other results even if it wins its final league match.
Iyer gave a candid verdict on Punjab Kings’ loss on Sunday, admitting the game was lost in the powerplay. He noted that the opposition’s aggressive start and momentum through the first six overs laid the foundation for the result, while PBKS couldn’t make similar early breakthroughs with the ball.
“Obviously, they got off to a great start and then started taking on the bowlers right after the power play. I think getting to 222 was a commendable performance and we were not able to take wickets in the bowling that much, but yeah, I think the match was lost in the powerplay,” Iyer said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Iyer conceded that the loss of three wickets inside the first six overs, including his own, broke Punjab Kings’ usual top-order rhythm, with the team missing the early momentum provided by Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya.
