Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin refused to soften the message after his side suffered their fifth straight loss in the 2026 Indian Premier League on Thursday night at Dharamsala, going down to Mumbai Indians. The defeat left PBKS with little room for error, especially as Mumbai had already slipped out of the play-off picture.
Quick facts
- PBKS recorded their fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2026
- Match venue: Dharamsala
- Opponent: Mumbai Indians
- PBKS batted first and finished on 200 runs
- Shardul Thakur’s middle-overs spell swung the contest
- With five losses in 12 matches, PBKS must win their final two games to secure a play-off spot
- Next fixtures: Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday; Lucknow Super Kings on May 23 at Ekana Stadium
PBKS were put into bat and never quite got the momentum required to close the gap. They managed 200, but the contest turned in the middle overs when a Shardul Thakur spell disrupted their rhythm and limited any late recovery.
After that burst, PBKS struggled to rebuild and Mumbai Indians ultimately took the match. Haddin framed the loss as a matter of handling pressure, rather than searching for excuses after another defeat.
“I think the whole tournament is pressure,” the former Australia World Cup winner said. “And this stage where we’re at, this is what IPL cricket’s about. You’ve got to be able to handle the big moments. You’ve got to be able to handle pressure.”
He also stressed that response matters more than the final result, pointing to what his team can extract from the performance. For Haddin, the dressing room reaction should translate into better preparation and sharper execution in the remaining weeks.
“It’s important to respond well,” he added. “There’s good signs out of tonight’s match. The result’s hurting in the change room. We’ve got to take what we did well out of tonight and take that over into our preparation, and have a look at what things we can improve on. We’ve got to find a way to get out of the rut we’re in at the moment.”
Must-win sprint for PBKS
With the play-off route narrowing, PBKS now face a high-intensity test against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. Haddin urged his group to raise the tempo immediately rather than waiting for later in the season, insisting that this is the part of the tournament where teams must peak.
“You want to be playing at this end of the tournament,” he said. “You want to be playing your best cricket now and we have to find a way. We have to find a way now to play our best cricket in the next couple of games to hopefully get the opportunity to play in the finals, but what we’ve got to do is find a way to play our best cricket in a couple of days’ time.”
After a five-day rest, PBKS will conclude their campaign against Lucknow Super Kings on May 23 at the Ekana Stadium. Haddin’s warning was clear: leaving things too late could be dangerous in a league where teams outside the top bracket can still derail contenders.
Lucknow are also out of play-off contention, and that makes the final stretch even trickier for PBKS. The assistant coach suggested their match against RCB could well prove decisive, and said the franchise must stay alert to the risk of other teams causing upsets at this stage of the league.
