The forty sixth match of the 2026 IPL season on the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad delivered a high-octane thriller on Sunday, however the aftermath has been something however nice for Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer. In a contest that swung like a pendulum, Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans (GT) managed to chase down a goal of 164 with 4 wickets and only one ball to spare. Whereas the followers celebrated a last-over end, former India stars have launched a scathing assault on Iyer’s tactical selections, marking PBKS’s second consecutive defeat within the event.
Shreyas Iyer beneath fireplace from former India cricketers following PBKS’ consecutive defeats in IPL 2026
The cricketing fraternity, led by legendary opener Virender Sehwag and former KKR mainstay Manoj Tiwary, has pointed fingers at Iyer’s bowling rotations. The first bone of rivalry was the underutilization of veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who was launched as late because the 14th over and bowled solely six deliveries.
Sehwag was blunt in his evaluation, suggesting that Iyer’s reliance on his tempo battery backfired when it got here to the ultimate hurdle. With 11 runs to defend within the final over, Iyer opted for Marcus Stoinis as an alternative of a specialist seamer.
“I believe Shreyas Iyer’s calculations have been a bit fallacious, as a result of he needed to give the final over to Stoinis. If that final over was bowled by Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, or Marco Jansen, then perhaps PBKS may have gained this match, as a result of there have been 11 runs to defend,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag additional emphasised that Chahal ought to have been used to neutralize GT’s prime order earlier within the recreation.
“It was Shreyas Iyer’s resolution to not bowl Chahal, and use his essential bowlers until the nineteenth over, and hope that they take wickets. Even Iyer will need to have felt that this match won’t go until the top like this. The place Chahal ought to have bowled within the center overs, he was not used. I believe that if he was introduced earlier into the assault, then which may have been good. He may have bowled towards Buttler,” he added.
Manoj Tiwary echoed these sentiments, highlighting a rising development the place captains hesitate to bowl wrist-spinners towards left-handed batters.
“There was a mistake. In response to me, it isn’t fully proper guilty Shreyas Iyer for that as a result of when Chahal was introduced on, he gave away 13 runs. However, he had the decision to make to deliver him on towards two left-handers, as a result of he may have conceded extra runs and even not, he needed to make that decision. However I really feel that it is best to all the time go together with your skilled bowlers. If he will get hit within the first over, then there is no such thing as a assure that he’ll go for runs once more,” Tiwary famous.
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PBKS endure back-to-back losses in IPL 2026 league stage
The scorecard paints an image of a missed alternative for Punjab. Batting first, PBKS struggled after a disastrous begin that noticed Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly depart within the very first over. Iyer (19) and Stoinis (40 off 31) tried to rebuild, however it was Suryansh Shedge’s explosive 57 off 29 balls that propelled them to 163/9. Jason Holder was the wrecker-in-chief for GT, ending with stellar figures of 4/24.
In response, GT’s chase was anchored by Sai Sudharsan, who scored a composed 57 off 41 balls. Regardless of Arshdeep Singh (2/24) and Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/31) retaining PBKS within the hunt, the match boiled right down to the ultimate over. Washington Sundar (40* off 23) and Arshad Khan (8* off 5) remained calm towards Stoinis, sealing the win for Gujarat with a rating of 167/6 in 19.5 overs. This loss leaves Punjab Kings scrambling for solutions because the race for the playoffs intensifies.
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