Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings story in the IPL has taken a brutal turn, and in the span of just a few days it has gone from celebration to damage control. The side that once looked unstoppable now finds itself reeling after Thursday night’s loss, with their playoff hopes slipping further out of reach. What looked like a winning formula is suddenly failing to hold under pressure, and the gap between confidence and collapse has become painfully obvious.
Punjab’s early momentum had been hard to ignore: six wins and a washed-out result across their first seven games, a start that made every decision feel correct. Iyer, often treated as the “sarpanch” figure around whom things were clicking, drew praise in abundance. Even the off-field buzz was everywhere, with the ‘Hukam’ track by Karan Aujla showing up frequently in social media reels—especially after Punjab beat Mumbai Indians in their previous outing. Arshdeep Singh and Harpreet Brar were also featured singing along in multiple clips, while head coach Ricky Ponting found himself pulled into the broader spotlight as well. The Punjabi lyric about shaking things up in relation to “Bombay” captured the mood perfectly, and after that kind of start it felt like there was no ceiling. But the atmosphere has changed quickly.
After Thursday’s defeat, Iyer’s group has now tasted five consecutive losses. Earlier, one of their matches had already been abandoned with Kolkata Knight Riders, adding to the complications. With results turning against them, Punjab are now racing the clock to keep their qualification alive, knowing every remaining game could be decisive.
Dharamsala has played its part in worsening Punjab’s situation. In two matches at the venue so far, they have lost twice—both against teams that have not been the strongest in the competition. Delhi Capitals handled them earlier this week in a chase of 211, with the hosts falling a few runs short. On Thursday, the script repeated itself, only this time it ended with Mumbai Indians needing 201 and getting there with ease, knocking the chase down in the final over. Punjab didn’t just lose the games; they struggled to make the conditions work for them, and that has exposed how thin the margin has become.
This IPL, Dharamsala has been among the most unpredictable pitches, and the colder conditions in the hills have provided pacers with meaningful support. Earlier in the season, Punjab’s approach there had been straightforward—go hard from the start and try to force outcomes early. They even managed to chase 265 against Delhi Capitals, and while they may not have entirely “earned” every slice of that success, luck sometimes swings matches and can also mask weaknesses for a while. Karun Nair’s dropped chances—two sitters off Iyer’s bat—only added to the nightmarish feel for Punjab, as those moments can shift momentum in a hurry.
The bigger issue for Punjab Kings is that they have not managed a win since that early surge. They are finding it difficult to adapt to the pitch and the tempo in this phase. Before the Dharamsala leg, Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, and Iyer were riding high, but in these conditions their rhythm has been harder to maintain. They have still scored runs, yet the flow is not as explosive as it was earlier in the tournament. Iyer did reach a fifty against Delhi Capitals, and Prabhsimran also made a fifty against Mumbai Indians last night, but their strike rates have slipped noticeably compared to their earlier displays.
Punjab have also appeared to underestimate how seriously each spell must be respected on a seam-friendly surface. On wickets offering swing and movement, every bowler becomes a threat, and Punjab have not always treated that reality as required. Against Delhi, Madhav Tiwari was not handled with the level of urgency the pitch demanded, and on Thursday, Shardul Thakur was treated in a similar fashion. The result was a change in match direction that Punjab could not reverse—medium pacers turned the contests with two wickets against the run of play versus Delhi and four wickets in the same kind of disruptive manner on Thursday.
With the season tightening, Punjab know they must pull their socks up immediately. Their schedule gives them one more opportunity at Dharamsala on Sunday, where they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru—currently one of the stronger sides in the competition. Virat Kohli, in particular, has looked menacing, which only raises the stakes for Iyer’s men. After five days of rest, Punjab travel to Lucknow Super Giants on May 23 for what is their final league-stage match. That means the game against RCB can’t be postponed into “later”—they need a result, and they need it badly. They also can’t wait until the LSG encounter to try to fix things, because their margin for error is practically gone.
For Punjab, the path back will largely depend on what they do with the bat. In these defeats, the batting has been the recurring weakness, and the team now knows what adjustments are required. Dharamsala has already answered important questions about adaptability, intent, and execution—Punjab just need to respond to those lessons before the play-off picture disappears completely.
