Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer blamed poor fielding for their 33-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. He said dropped catches of Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen proved costly, despite Cooper Connolly's phenomenal century.
Shreyas Iyer rues costly dropped catches
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer rued the dropped catches by the fielders after Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) handed them a 33-run defeat in the 49th fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. SRH scored 235/4 in 20 overs. PBKS, despite the unbeaten century (107* off 59 balls) off the bat of Connolly, fell short by 33 runs.
Cooper Connolly missed a catch of Ishan Kishan in the eighth over when he was on nine, and the very next over, Shashank Singh dropped a chance to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen off Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling. Kishan was given another reprieve in the 11th over when Lockie Ferguson dropped him again, this time when he was on 18. Both batters made the most of the lifelines, with Klaasen going on to score 69 off 43 balls and Kishan making 55 off 32, as PBKS's dropped chances proved costly.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shreyas Iyer said his team paid the price for poor fielding, especially early dropped catches, as the pitch slowed down and allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to take control of the match. He said that Cooper Connolly played a phenomenal innings under pressure, and also praised Yuzvendra Chahal for his fearless bowling effort. Iyer added that PBKS started the season well but needs to improve consistency and fielding standards to maintain momentum. "It was a bit too much because we dropped catches at the start. The wicket kept getting slower. They played comprehensive cricket and showed us how to win the match. 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. Connolly is phenomenal. His mindset is top-notch. He has a knack for scoring big runs in pressure situations. The way Chahal bowled, he was fearless. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take catches," Iyer said.
SRH pile on runs after being put into bat
Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bowl first. While Travis Head (38) and Abhishek Sharma (35) gave SRH a brilliant start, PBKS did have a chance to pull things back as they had reduced the opposition to 86/2 in 7 overs. However, their fielders dropped catches that proved costly for them.
SRH posted a massive 235/4, powered by fifties from Heinrich Klaasen (69*) and Ishan Kishan (55), along with quick starts from Travis Head (38) and Abhishek Sharma (35). Chahal was the only bowler who stood out for PBKS with the figures of 1/32 in 4 overs.
Connolly's valiant century goes in vain
Chasing 236, PBKS suffered an early collapse, slipping to 23/3, which proved costly. Connolly stood out with a superb 107* off 59 balls--the youngest overseas IPL centurion--but lacked enough support as PBKS finished on 202/7.
Coming to SRH's bowling, Pat Cummins rotated his bowlers effectively to ensure PBKS never gained the momentum needed for a miracle. Cummins (2/34), Shivang Kumar (2/45), Sakib Hussain (1/40) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/11 in 2 overs) were the wicket takers for the hosts. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)