IPL 2026 turned out to be a major disappointment for Punjab Kings. The team, which finally enjoyed the success of reaching the playoffs after 11 years in 2025 and went on to finish as runners-up, entered the 2026 season as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Led by Shreyas Iyer , PBKS lived up to expectations in the first half of the campaign, winning six of their first seven matches, while one game was washed out due to rain.
PBKS lost six consecutive matches and ultimately missed out on qualification for the playoffs.
Everything appeared to be going according to plan as Punjab surged towards a playoff berth, outplaying most of their opponents. However, what followed was a twist straight out of an Agatha Christie novel.
PBKS batter Shashank Singh, who has been with the franchise since 2024, spoke about the team’s downfall and how they dealt with the setback.
Recently, NDTV spoke to PBKS batter Shashank Singh, who has been with the franchise since 2024, about the team’s downfall and how they dealt with the setback. Usually, 10 or 11 players remain the same. Since my Under-16 and Under-19 days, coaches have always told us to enjoy fielding and not be too harsh on ourselves. This year, I want to become a proper white-ball all-rounder, someone who can bowl 10 overs in a one-day match and also score a hundred.
Because i wasn’t enjoying it, i was taking 500 to 1,000 catches a day, but even that wasn’t helping. Because i really want to develop as a bowler, i’m not saying that will be the case forever, but for now that’s where my focus lies. Questions were raised about both the players and the management, with fans demanding answers for the dramatic collapse. What was the atmosphere in the camp after that, and what were the discussions with Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer? Shashank: Obviously, after winning six games, the morale was very high. There were no negative discussions. But at the same time, we kept wondering why it was happening. As far as I know, this has never happened to any team before. Winning six or seven games in a row and then losing six on the trot is a collapse that very few teams have experienced. Naturally, we were a bit concerned. We kept asking ourselves where we were going wrong. But the IPL is such a fast-moving tournament that correcting mistakes is not easy. It’s not as if you’re changing the playing XI every match. Shashank: My friends still troll me about them. But honestly, there wasn’t any technical issue. Fielding is all about enjoying the process. After I dropped those first two catches against LSG, I stopped enjoying it. But I wasn’t doing that. It’s not as if I was a bad fielder. I’ve always been a good fielder and have taken plenty of good catches throughout my career. I still do. But the IPL is such a fast-paced tournament that once something goes wrong, it tends to stay in your mind. As a professional player, maybe I shouldn’t say this, but that’s exactly what happened to me. I kept wondering, “Why is this happening? Everyone in the team management knew how much I practised. After the IPL, when I spoke to my coaches and some close friends who have known me since childhood, they pointed out that I wasn’t enjoying fielding anymore. I can’t guarantee that I’ll never drop another catch or that I’ll score a hundred in every match. But I enjoy batting and bowling, and I should have enjoyed fielding in the same way. Shashank: For this season, I want to focus primarily on white-ball cricket. As an all-rounder, playing all three formats in domestic cricket can sometimes become very demanding.
NDTV: Last year, the team suffered a dramatic downfall after winning six matches on the trot.
