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Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that while his side enjoyed a “fairytale” start to the 2026 IPL season, their recent slump is a worrying sign heading into the business end of the tournament. Punjab had emerged as the team to beat with six wins from their first seven matches, but have since suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 33-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Wednesday.
“I feel we got a fairytale start in the tournament, and everyone was in a great space. If we are going to continue with the same form, that`s not going to help us,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation. The Kings endured yet another disappointing outing in the field, with dropped catches and missed stumpings proving costly.
“It (the target) was a bit too much because we dropped catches at the start and we could have easily delayed their score by 30 to 40 runs. The wicket kept getting slower. They played comprehensive cricket, and showed us how to win the match.” The lone bright spot for Punjab was Cooper Connolly`s unbeaten century in his debut IPL season.
“Connolly is phenomenal. His mindset is top notch and the character he brings onto the field. It`s something that all players can learn from him. And apart from that, I feel that he`s got a knack of scoring big runs in pressure situations.” With the win, Sunrisers Hyderabad moved to the top of the points table, and skipper Pat Cummins was pleased with his side`s all-round performance.
“Punjab are a really good side. I thought the batters to get off to what we did was sensational. No matter what the score is, bowling second against that side was clinical,” Cummins said. “We`re pretty good at playing it at our pace. It`s just trying to max out. It gripped a little bit, which suits our bowlers. We`ve seen it before; we can adjust.”
The Australian had missed the first few games as he recovered form his back injury and was adjudged the player-of-the-match for his 2/34 that included the prized wickets of his counterpart Iyer and opener Priyansh Arya. “I fell really good. Came into this fresh. Not much has worked for any team in the powerplay, really. We`ve got lots of options,” Cummins added.
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