Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer did not mince words after his side suffered a 33-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, a result that also saw them slip from the top position in the IPL standings. In a candid assessment, he said, “We dropped too many catches”.
Overall, PBKS let go of three chances and also missed a stumping opportunity during the first innings, when Sunrisers stormed to 235 for 4. Asked whether such a total was excessive for the conditions, Iyer felt the hosts could have been constrained much earlier. “I think it was a bit too much because we dropped many catches at the start, and we could have easily [reduced] their score by 30-40 runs. I guess because the wicket kept getting slower and the cutters were holding up a bit. So, we weren’t comprehensive enough on the field, nor in bowling, nor in batting. So, I think they played comprehensive cricket and they showed us how to win the match.”
Yuzvendra Chahal endured a particularly cruel phase in his spell of 1 for 32, with a catch going down and a stumping attempt missed off his deliveries within the same over. Across the season so far, Chahal has generated 16 catching opportunities in this IPL, with 8 of those chances not taken (a catching conversion rate of 50%). Among the 61 bowlers who have produced four or more chances this year, none has seen a higher proportion of dropped catches.
“[Chahal] bowled beautifully today without luck,” Iyer said. “Certainly, the way he bowled, he was fearless and his attitude was fantastic against left-handers… I asked him to be attacking, especially when the new batsmen were in, because they were on the charge right from ball one. And it was crucial to get wickets at that point of time. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take catches. I think that was the biggest setback for us in today’s game.”
Cooper Connolly was the only PBKS batter to provide sustained resistance during their stop-start chase. He finished unbeaten on 107 off 59 balls, which also marked his maiden century in professional cricket. “I mean, he’s phenomenal,” Iyer said. “His mindset is top-notch and the character he brings onto the field. It’s something that all the players can learn from him. Apart from that, I feel that he’s got a knack of scoring big runs in pressure situations. He has done it in the past and today was the right example.”
With this defeat marking their third consecutive loss, PBKS will now have a five-day pause before returning to action against Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala on May 11.
“We [have] got to go back and reflect on things that we didn’t do well in the last three matches. And see to it that we come back strong.”
