Chasing a massive target of 223, Punjab Kings were rocked early as Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and Shreyas himself were dismissed cheaply inside the first three overs. The early collapse left the hosts struggling at 19\/3, making the chase difficult despite a spirited fightback later in the innings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously, 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 weren\u2019t able to take wickets in the bowling that much, but yeah, I think the match was lost in the powerplay,\u201d Iyer said after the game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Punjab Kings eventually finished at 199\/8 despite aggressive knocks from Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis. Shashank smashed 56 off just 27 deliveries while Stoinis contributed 37 off 25 balls, but the required run rate proved too steep after the early damage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on the difficult chase, Shreyas pointed to the absence of strong starts from openers Arya and Prabhsimran, both of whom had been among the team\u2019s most consistent performers this season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAbsolutely. We were three down, and the majority of our run scorers were Prabhsimran and Priyansh. The starts they used to give us in the power play, obviously, we couldn\u2019t get this time, and also me coming in and getting out early,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cReally disappointed, but commendable performance by Shashank and Stoinis, and also a few others in the middle. I think we were up there with almost 10 and over, but yeah, fell short. Tremendous bowling by Bhuvi and Hazlewood,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided RCB the perfect start with two wickets in the opening overs, while Josh Hazlewood picked up important breakthroughs in the middle and death overs to stop Punjab Kings\u2019 recovery.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The defeat also confirmed Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs, with RCB moving to 18 points from 13 matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the setback, Shreyas remained optimistic about Punjab Kings\u2019 chances going forward and said he would continue to maintain a positive mindset ahead of their next game against Lucknow Super Giants.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The defeat also confirmed Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs, with RCB moving to 18 points from 13 matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With this loss, PBKS' qualification chances look very slim. They have to beat LSG in their final match and then depend on other teams' results to also go in their favour, as they can now reach a maximum of 15 points. <\/p>\r\n\r\n