Punjab Kings (PBKS)’s impressive IPL 2026 campaign has derailed and the biggest problem is their poor fielding. After winning six consecutive matches, PBKS suffered three consecutive defeats, which now puts their dream of finishing in the top two in the IPL 2026 points table in jeopardy.
Their recent back-to-back setbacks have pushed Punjab Kings to third in the table with 13 points from 10 matches, including a canceled match in Kolkata. However, Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS still have four matches left to clinch a top-two finish.
Poor fielding is becoming PBKS’ biggest problem in IPL 2026
As the tournament enters the decisive phase, Punjab Kings’ fielding mistakes have now become a major talking point around the team. In their recent match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), PBKS suffered a crushing defeat by 33 runs, mainly due to poor fielding.
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Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh and Lockie Ferguson dropped crucial catches and that cost them a lot. Of all the players, Shashank has faced heavy criticism this season due to his repeated fielding errors. The PBKS batsman has dropped 6 catches so far in IPL 2026.
Earlier in the season, Shashank had dropped three catches in the same game against Lucknow Super Giants. Most of his mistakes proved very costly for the franchise. Even after so much criticism regarding the fielding of Punjab Kings, young batsman Suryansh Shedge has supported his team.
It’s a temporary thing: Suryansh Shedge supports Punjab Kings despite criticism
Shez wants Punjab Kings to remain calm and not think too much about mistakes, as he believes that dropping catches is a temporary problem and can happen to any team during a long tournament like the IPL. He believes that he needs to gain confidence and continue playing positive cricket.
“I think it’s not just us making the mistake. It can happen to any franchise, and it has happened in the past as well. So, I don’t think we should dwell on it because when we were winning games, we were taking advantage of all the opportunities. We were the same players, right? We were the same team. It tells you that this is a temporary thing and we will get over it,” Hindustan Times quoted Suryansh Shedge as saying.
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PBKS increases catching practice after repeated fielding mistakes in IPL 2026
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has also admitted that fielding has become a major concern for the team and because of this, the coaching staff has now increased the catching practice sessions in the last few days. Now he is hopeful of better performance in the upcoming games.
Ponting said, “Look, it’s been a bit of a virus for us to be honest. We’ve taken a lot of catches so far this season. The boys have worked exceptionally hard, and poor Shashank is there, it seems like chances are following him wherever he goes. He’s sitting under a high ball.”
He added, “He missed a few games with a sore left hamstring, so it took him about a week and a half to get back from there. He’s done all his work over the past week to get physically right to play, and we’ve really stepped up our catching practice over the last five or six days.”
