3 captaincy blunders: Why Shreyas Iyer is under fire after PBKS loss against DC

Punjab Kings’ IPL 2026 campaign is suddenly beginning to unravel. After looking like one of the strongest teams in the tournament earlier in the season, PBKS have now suffered four consecutive defeats, with the latest coming against Delhi Capitals in another high scoring game on Monday.

Despite posting a strong 210/5, Punjab failed to defend the target as Delhi Capitals chased it down in just 19 overs to win by three wickets. Shreyas Iyer and Priyansh Arya both scored half centuries for PBKS, but explosive knocks from Axar Patel and David Miller turned the game in Delhi’s favour.

The defeat has now pushed Punjab Kings down to fourth place in the standings, and questions are beginning to grow around their bowling, fiedling and captaincy decisions.

Punjab’s sudden mid season collapse

Recent Results

• Lost to Delhi Capitals by 3 wickets on May 11

• Lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 33 runs on May 6

• Lost to Gujarat Titans by 4 wickets on May 3

• Lost to Rajasthan Royals by 6 wickets on April 28

Fans have also pointed out an unusual coincidence online. Since Punjab Kings mocked Rajasthan Royals through a social media post, the team has not managed to win a single game.

Dropped catches becoming a major concern

Captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting have both admitted that fielding mistakes are hurting the side badly.

Dropped catches have become a recurring issue.

The bowling attack has also struggled under pressure. Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen have not been able to consistently control the scoring late in innings, and Punjab have now conceded more than 200 runs six times this season.

Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy decisions under fire

However, the biggest talking point from the Delhi Capitals defeat has been Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy during the chase.

Several tactical decisions left fans and viewers shocked.

Arshdeep Singh, Punjab’s main death overs specialist, completed all four of his overs by the 15th over itself. Marco Jansen also finished his spell early, bowling his final over in the 16th.

That left Punjab without their two frontline pacers during the most important phase of the innings.

Even more surprising was the fact that Yuzvendra Chahal was not given a single over despite the match situation.

The death overs were then handed to debutant Ben Dwarshuis, while Yash Thakur was also trusted in crunch moments despite not being known as a regular death overs bowler.

The decisions immediately became a major talking point on social media, with many fans calling it one of Punjab’s poorest tactical performances of the season.

Shreyas Iyer after the match, admitted there was “absolutely” a thought about giving the ball to Yuzvendra Chahal, but felt the conditions were favouring the seamers more during the chase.

“The thought was absolutely there in my mind, but the way the ball was seaming and helping the pacers, I felt if we had executed our line and length precisely, we could have extracted wickets. Unfortunately, we didn’t,” Iyer said.

Pressure Growing Ahead of Crucial Matches

Punjab Kings are still inside the top four, but the pressure is clearly building now.

What once looked like a strong and stable campaign is beginning to feel uncertain. With confidence dipping and tactical mistakes creeping in, PBKS will need a quick turnaround before their season slips further away