Punjab Kings suffered their third consecutive defeat of IPL 2026 on Wednesday night after failing to chase down 236 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Although SRH won by 33 runs, PBKS will feel the result could have been different had their fielding not let them down at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
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Punjab handed Ishan Kishan three reprieves – two dropped catches and a missed stumping – while Heinrich Klaasen was also dropped during a costly outing in the field.
Both batters made PBKS pay. Kishan and Klaasen struck quickfire half-centuries to power SRH to 235/4 in 20 overs, laying the foundation for the team’s seventh win of the season.
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Kishan
was first given a life on 9 when Cooper Connolly dropped him, then again on 18 through a missed chance by Lockie Ferguson, before Prabhsimran Singh missed a stumping opportunity when he was on 20. The left-hander eventually scored 55 off 32 balls.
Even after his dismissal in the 15th over, Kishan was not done troubling PBKS.
Later, the wicketkeeper-batter took to Instagram and appeared to take a subtle dig at Punjab’s fielders with the witty caption: “Catch me if you can”.
Meanwhile, Shashank Singh’s difficult season in the field continued as he dropped Klaasen on 13. The SRH batter went on to top score with 69 off 43 balls. It was the fifth catch Shashank has dropped this season.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer also acknowledged that fielding lapses did contribute to their defeat. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take catches. I think that was the biggest setback for us in today’s game. But definitely something to reflect on and come back stronger,” Iyer told broadcasters after the match.
PBKS, last season’s runners-up, started their campaign with a seven-match unbeaten run before it was broken by Rajasthan Royals. They will next face Delhi Capitals on Monday.
