The IPL 2026 playoff picture just got messier after Punjab Kings dropped their fifth game in a row, this time losing to Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala. Punjab still sit fourth with 13 points from 12 matches, but things are tight. Up top, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans both have 16 points, while Sunrisers Hyderabad hold 14. Then you’ve got Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals just behind Punjab—both have 12 points from 11 games and an extra chance to leapfrog them.
Punjab came out hot at the start of the league, but now they’ve got to win their last two matches or risk falling short, especially if CSK and RR keep winning. Even teams like Kolkata Knight Riders (9 points, 11 games) and Delhi Capitals (10 points, 12 games) aren’t out of the race yet. That’s how unpredictable things are.
In this match, Punjab batted first. Prabhsimran Singh hammered 57 and, along with Priyansh Arya (27), powered through the powerplay at 55 for 1. Prabhsimran and Cooper Connolly added another flourish, pushing the score past 100 in the 12th over. But then Shardul Thakur changed the game. He ripped through Punjab’s lineup, taking four wickets for 39 runs. Still, Punjab managed a late surge, smashing 53 runs in the last three overs to post 200 for 8.
Mumbai started their chase with Ryan Rickelton going all-out, quickly racking up runs and taking the score to 59 without loss—even though Rohit Sharma struggled for his 25. Punjab wrestled back control briefly, snatching three wickets for 57 runs between overs 7 and 13. But Tilak Varma was unstoppable. He finished unbeaten on 75 from just 33 balls, piecing together a 61-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford and later closing it out with Will Jacks. Mumbai chased down the target with just a ball to spare, winning in 19.5 overs.
Now, with only a handful of games left, pretty much anything can happen in the race for the playoffs.
