Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], April 29 : Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that PBKS's first loss of the Indian Premier League 2026 is a learning experience. He pointed out that the team has performed well in high-scoring matches before, both while chasing and defending, and described this defeat as just an off day.
Iyer stressed the importance of staying positive, not dwelling on what could have been done differently, and maintaining an optimistic approach moving forward.
Half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Donovan Ferreira, and a fiery knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi helped RR end PBKS unbeaten run, beating them by six wickets in their IPL match at Mullanpur on Tuesday night.
PBKS stay at the top despite the loss, with 13 points after six wins, a no result and a loss. RR rise to third spot, with six wins and three losses, giving them 12 points.
"I feel that this is our first loss of the season, so it definitely teaches you a lot. And also, we've played a lot of games where we have chased 200 plus, and we have defended 200 plus. So this is just one of those games where things didn't go our way, and we just have to push it aside. And I feel that in retrospect, many things could have happened, but I just want to stay positive going ahead and be optimistic in our approach," Iyer said after the match.
Put to bat first, PBKS reached 222/4 courtesy half-centuries from Marcus Stoinis (62* in 22 balls, with four boundaries and six sixes) and Prabhsimran Singh (59 in 44 balls, with six fours and a six).
But during the chase, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43 in 16 balls, with three fours and five sixes) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 in 27 balls, with seven fours and a six) started with a 51-run stand.
A fifth-wicket stand of 77 runs between Donovan Ferreira (52* in 26 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Shubham Dubey (31* in 12 balls, with three fours and two sixes) sealed the win with four balls left.
Iyer felt PBKS posted a strong total of 224, praising the batters for adapting well to a slow, tacky pitch. However, he admitted the bowlers fell short in execution, particularly with their plans of using slower deliveries and yorkers.
He also credited the opposition's middle-order fightback, highlighting key contributions from Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey, whose partnership and late runs proved decisive.
"I thought 224 on the board was a brilliant score. Kudos to the batsmen, the way they came up and went against the bowlers. I think it was an exceptional performance, especially on this wicket, which was a bit tacky and slow. And I think we fell a bit short in our bowling, in terms of execution. We had planned to bowl a lot of slower ones, pace off, yorkers. I think we fell a bit short over there. And also, they had a tremendous partnership in the middle, especially by Ferreira and Shubham Dubey coming in and scoring those crucial runs at the end," he added.
Iyer admitted that bowling in T20 cricket has become increasingly challenging, with batters attacking from the very first ball. He said that while teams may have solid plans, success ultimately depends on proper execution.
Reflecting on PBKS's bowling in the 2026 IPL, he said that despite having strategies in place, the bowlers couldn't execute them effectively, and it was simply not their day.
"See, this is the format where I feel that a lot of players have changed their game, and when they come in, they go bang from ball one. So it's an arduous task for bowlers to come up with a certain plan. But at the end of the day, I feel it's all about execution. If you have a certain plan set, when you execute it well, you come out triumphant. And today it just wasn't our day," he concluded.
Brief Scores: PBKS: 222/4 (Marcus Stoinis 62*, Prabhsimran Singh 59, Yash Raj Punia 2/41) lost to RR: 228/4 in 19.4 overs (Donovan Ferreira 52*, Yashasvi Jaiswal 51, Yuzi Chahal 3/36).