IPL 2026: 'Was a game they should have won' - Sunil Gavaskar on PBKS' loss to MI

Punjab Kings were handed their fifth consecutive loss of the season in IPL 2026 by Mumbai Indians, who romped to a six-wicket victory at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.

Being put into bat, the Kings managed 200 for 8 in their 20 overs on the back of Prabhsimran Singh's half-century and some late fireworks from Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored a 17-ball 38. The five-time champions chased it down with Tilak Varma scoring a brilliant unbeaten 33-ball 75.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed his belief that the game against MI was one which the Kings could have won, and questioned their bowling plans in the second innings.

“This was a game Punjab Kings should have won after scoring 53 runs in the last three overs to get past 200. At that stage, they had the momentum and looked in control. But their bowling remains a concern. Shreyas Iyer’s failure also hurt because when he scores, Punjab usually gets another 20-30 runs, which could have made the difference. Bartlett has been expensive, and I was surprised he wasn’t given the new ball on a helpful pitch. Azmatullah Omarzai was outstanding with both bat and ball, and perhaps Punjab should continue backing him while also considering Marcus Stoinis for added batting depth,” Gavaskar on JioStar. 

The Kings started the season unbeaten, winning six of their first seven games and one being a washout. After looking poised to make the playoffs with ease, they find themselves in a tough spot after losing five games in a row. They will now host Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamshala in what is a must-win clash for them.

Former Indian cricketer and Punjab Kings’ head coach Sanjay Bangar opined that they could use left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar against RCB due to the fixture being a day game, and because they have exhausted all potential pace-bowling options, who have gone for runs and could resort to using spinners.

“I think Punjab Kings will have the opportunity to use Harpreet Brar because he has always been a quality performer, especially against RCB. Having been part of RCB myself, I know he has troubled several of their batters over the years. It helps that the next game against RCB is a day game because Punjab can use two spinners. So far, they have explored almost all their pace-bowling options, so perhaps it is time to go back to spin and hope that becomes an effective way of containing teams, whether bowling first or second because a target of around 200 is very much within the reach of Punjab Kings’ batting line-up,” Bangar stated, via the aformentioned source.