They have shot themselves within the foot

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag opined that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have only themselves to blame for their current predicament after losing their fifth consecutive match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The Shreyas Iyer-led side risk slipping out of the top four now after losing by six wickets to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Dharamshala on Thursday, May 14.

PBKS were the undisputed table toppers at the halfway stage of the campaign, remaining unbeaten across their first seven matches. However, they have been in a downward spiral since, with the recent blows including similar defeats at their secondary home venue in the business end of the league stage.

PBKS failed to defend a 201-run target against the eliminated MI side, devoid of the likes of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.

Virender Sehwag remarked that fear has completely set in the PBKS camp, and it is evident through their tentative batting approach instead of the free-flowing and fearless style they had employed earlier.

“They are not batting as freely as they did in the first half. Now there is fear in everyone’s mind that we might get out, we might lose, we might score fewer runs. Until you do not put aside winning and losing, and bat freely, they can see what comes. I am a little scared for them now because they might be in trouble for qualification now. They have shot themselves in the foot in these last five matches,” he said on Cricbuzz.

Sehwag, who was part of the franchise as both player and coach, slammed PBKS’s death bowling efforts, questioning how they let the game slip when MI were 103-3 after 12 overs. During that phase both Sherfane Rutherford and Tilak Varma were relatively new to the crease, and were struggling to match the required rate.

“There were 80 runs to win off the last six overs, and maybe 51 needed off the last three, from there how did Punjab lose the match? I did not understand that. PBKS will have to think about their bowling, Marco Jansen and Bartlett conceded over 50 runs, these are the bowlers that bowled in the death as well. There were 15 runs to defend in the final over, it should have been defended, but it did not happen. Last time it was Stoinis, now it is Bartlett, so this is now a serious concern for them. Now they are not fighting for the top two, they are fighting for qualification now,” he added.

PBKS are currently placed fourth in the points table with 13 points, and face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their remaining matches.

“If this had happened in the first half of the season, they would have won the match” – Rohan Gavaskar’s massive claim after PBKS vs MI IPL 2026 match

Former India cricketer Rohan Gavaskar hinted that a total loss of confidence and momentum played a huge part in PBKS letting MI back into the contest in the run chase from a strong position.

“PBKS had to defend 80 runs in six overs. If this had happened in the first half of the season, they would have won the match. Because back then, they had the winning habit. They knew what they had to do, and the confidence was high. The bowlers knew their roles, the intensity and energy were high on the field. But because this situation came at a time when they have lost momentum, they lost the match,” Rohan Gavaskar said.

PBKS’ next clash, and their final match in Dharamshala, is an afternoon duel against table-toppers RCB, on Sunday, May 17.