Punjab Kings (PBKS) remain at the top of the points table, but they suffered their second defeat in IPL 2026 on May 4, against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Instead of batters of spinners, in this match, the seamers enjoyed their time in this match.
PBKS, who possess the inform batters like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, and captain Shreyas Iyer himself, rocked against the pace department of the Gujarat Titans. Shockingly, during the run chase, Iyer did not utilize the full 4 overs quota of Yuzvendra Chahal, which raises questions.
Shreyas Iyer is considered one of the best skippers in IPL history
Former Team India cricketer, now a cricket expert and commentator, Mohammad Kaif, suggests Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings to keep their trust in the experienced spinner Yuzvendra Chahal under any challenging circumstances.
Shreyas Iyer is considered one of the best captains in the history of the Indian Premier League for his significant stints with the Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and now with the Punjab Kings. He is known to take courageous decisions to turn around the momentum of a match.
PBKS suffered a loss vs GT
May 4, 2026, was not one of the best days in office for Iyer. On the challenging pitch, Gujarat Titans surpassed the target of 164 in 19.5 overs and won the match by 4 wickets. Batting departments of both sides had to grind hard to accumulate runs on the track where the pacers were gaining rhythm.
Yuzvendra Chahal, one of the best spinners in the league, was allowed to deliver only one over. Chahal leaked 13 runs in that single over and was never called back to bowl another over in the rest of the innings, which has surprised Mohammad Kaif very much.
“It surprises me to see the highest wicket taker of IPL history, Yuzvendra Chahal, bowl just one over against GT. Remember, he has 228 IPL wickets in which 139 have come on the flat Chinnaswamy during his 8 years with RCB,” Kaif wrote on his X post.
Kaif’s suggestion for Shreyas Iyer over Yuzvendra Chahal
Pacers like Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Holder for the Gujarat Titans, and for PBKS, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Marco Jansen got the crucial wickets in the match, which clearly indicates the authority of the fast bowlers.
Might be because of the nature of the surface. Shreyas Iyer did not wish to do further experiments with their seasoned spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, and kept trusting the seamers. But still, valuing Yuzvendra Chahal’s experience and wicket-taking ability, Kaif believes that PBKS needed to trust in him even under the challenging circumstances.
“Ok, the pitch had grass, but Chahal is an IPL great; he could have found ways to get wickets. Punjab needs to trust him more,” he further added.
It surprises me to see a highest wicket taker of ipl history Yuzi Chahal bowl just one over against GT. Remember he has 228 ipl wickets in which 139 have come on the flat Chinnaswamy during his 8 years with RCB. Ok, the pitch had grass but Chahal is an IPL great he could have…
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 3, 2026
Despite the defeat, Punjab Kings remain top of the points table, and Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans keep themselves in the play-offs contention as well.
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