After going unbeaten in their first 7 matches in IPL 2026, the Yuzvendra Chahal-starrer Punjab Kings have now lost 4 matches in a row. This has severely dented their chances of making the top four in this year’s tournament.
On Monday, PBKS lost to a struggling Delhi Capitals at their second home ground, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The thrilling win kept Delhi’s playoffs hopes alive in the tournament, even if bleak.
Key Points
- Punjab Kings suffered their fourth straight defeat after losing to Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala.
- PBKS faced heavy criticism for not using Yuzvendra Chahal despite all pacers getting hit.
- Punjab bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule defended the decision, calling it a “spontaneous” tactical move.
DC complete the highest successful chase in Dharamsala
DC’s decision to win the toss and bowl first didn’t really go to plan. Priyansh Arya was up to the usual, making 56 runs in 33 balls before debutant Madhav Tiwari had him holing out.
Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder Cooper Connolly then put up a powerful stand of 83, broken when Tiwari returned to take Connolly’s wicket. Iyer ended the innings with an unbeaten 59, but it was Suryansh Shedge’s finish that powered Punjab to 210.
Shedge entered the crease when Mitchell Starc had already dismissed Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh off consecutive deliveries. Shedge not only denied Starc the hat-trick with a six, but also went on to hit another six and a four in the very same over, and eventually hit a four off the last ball of the innings to remain unbeaten on 21 runs from 8 balls.
Delhi’s batting powerplay arguably went worse than their bowling powerplay. Arshdeep Singh removed both KL Rahul and Sahil Parakh within the first six overs on either side of Yash Thakur, dismissing Abhishek Porel.
Tristan Stubbs was also run out due to a mix-up, and DC were in peril at 74/4. David Miller and skipper Axar Patel both made fifties and put up an important stand of 64. Important cameos from Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, and Auqib Nabi helped Delhi complete the highest successful chase at Dharamsala in IPL history with an over to spare.
Delhi Capitals had interestingly made five changes to their playing XII for this match.
The Yuzvendra Chahal controversy
In an unprecedented move, all 39 overs bowled in this match were bowled by pacers, including four by PBKS’ Marcus Stoinis.
Kuldeep Yadav was dropped for this match, while neither Axar Patel nor Yuzvendra Chahal were deemed useful enough to bowl. Patel is the Capitals’ skipper and decided not to bring himself on at all.
Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, was criticised for not trusting Yuzvendra Chahal even though all his other bowlers were being taken apart. While, in theory, the conditions may have supported pace through and through, Yuzvendra Chahal is still the highest wicket-taker in IPL history.
This year, though, Yuzvendra Chahal has blown a little hot and cold just like all of Punjab’s bowlers. His 8 wickets in 11 matches have come at an average of 35.75 and an economy of 9.35.
Also Read: Axar Patel punished by BCCI after Delhi Capitals’ costly mistake vs Punjab Kings in IPL 2026
“It was a spontaneous decision” – Punjab Kings coach
Speaking after the match, Punjab Kings’ bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule elaborated on the decision not to bowl Yuzvendra Chahal.
“Definitely, there was a thought (about bowling spinners) during the time-out, but I think the ball was seaming and the conditions were suitable for the fast bowlers. So I think the decision was very spontaneous to continue with the fast bowlers and see how we can get those wickets, which we did early on. But I think one partnership just took it away from us,” he said.
When asked to focus on the reasons for Punjab’s defeat, Bahutule said that poor bowling and the dropped catches cost the team.
“Definitely, we will look into certain phases of our bowling and also the fielding part. Again, today, unfortunately, we dropped a few catches again at a crucial time, so that was very important. And I think we will reflect, but again, there is no time for us to really brood about it; we must move ahead.”
“At a crucial time, we are dropping catches, which unfortunately is breaking the momentum that we were getting. Because if we had taken two catches, I don’t think they would have reached the target; it would have been very difficult for them, and we may have won the game by 20 runs,” he asserted.
