Punjab Kings (PBKS) are no longer the table topper in the IPL 2026 season. With the hat-trick of defeats, PBKS has slipped one place in the points table. On 5 May they suffered their third consecutive defeat of the season. They lost the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 33 runs, which was a huge margin.
Home team Sunrisers Hyderabad, batting first, scored 235 runs for 4 wickets and in the second innings, PBKS scored 202 runs in the limit of 20 overs. Cooper Connolly remained unbeaten after scoring 107 runs. He kept trying until the last ball of the match, but without proper support from the rest of the batting order, Connolly’s efforts went in vain.
PBKS captain explains why they lost to SRH
After the match, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer explained the situation and why they lost the match. At the presentation ceremony, Iyer pointed out the mistakes made in the first innings.
Even the century of the match, Cooper Connolly, dropped a sitter off Ishan Kishan. Iyer believes that if they had been able to field well, SRH might have had to sacrifice 30 to 40 runs of the total score. He is also not happy with the all-over bowling performance.
Iyer also talked about the pitch. He claimed that as the match progressed, the pitch was becoming slower, making it difficult for his batsmen to score runs. However, Punjab Kings won the toss and decided to bat in the second innings.
Shreyas Iyer blames entire team for defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad
“I think it (the target) was a bit high because we dropped a lot of catches in the beginning and we could have easily added 30 to 40 runs to their score because the wicket was getting slow and the cutters were stopping a bit,” Shreyas Iyer said after the match.
“So we weren’t that wide on the field, not in the bowling, not in the batting. So I think they played wide cricket, and they showed us how to win matches. I think we got a fairy tale start to this tournament, and everyone was in a great place, and the mentality was on top.”
“I think it’s important that we stay with the same mindset. It’s easy to get distracted by talking negative about things. But obviously we have to go back, look at the things that we didn’t do well in the last three games and make sure that we come back stronger,” he said.
Shreyas Iyer praised Cooper Connolly
Furthermore, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer appreciated the effort of Cooper Connolly. He said that all the players in the team should replicate the character shown by Coonolly on the field tonight.
Shreyas Iyer said, “He (Connolly) is amazing. His mentality is top class and he brings character to the field. That’s something all players can learn from him. And apart from that, I think he has the ability to score big runs in pressure situations. He has done that before and today is the perfect example of that.”
Read more: “Remember the name”: Fans applaud Cooper Connolly’s maiden century against SRH in IPL 2026
