Punjab Kings suffered one of the biggest collapses of IPL 2026. They won six of their first seven matches. But they then lost six games in a row. The losing streak ended their hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Shashank Singh has now opened up about the difficult phase. The 34-year-old batter joined PBKS in 2024. He said the team was surprised by the sudden change in results.
“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.” Singh said in an exclusive interview with NDTV Sports.
Fielding mistakes hurt PBKS
Fielding became a major problem for Punjab Kings during the season. The team dropped 16 catches from 56 chances. Singh himself dropped five catches.
Coach Ricky Ponting called the fielding problems “a virus running through the camp”. Captain Shreyas Iyer also described it as the biggest setback of the season.
Singh said the team remained positive despite the losses.
“We were confused about why things were unfolding the way they were, but the best part was that we never turned negative. Now that the IPL has been over for nearly three months, when we look back on that phase, we realise there were several key moments that cost us games. We dropped crucial catches, could have bowled better in important overs, and failed to build on important partnerships,” Singh said.
He also praised the senior players for keeping the squad calm.
“Not at all. Not even by 0.1 per cent. The best part was that we were quite relaxed. The way we approached the first six games and the way we approached the last eight games was exactly the same,” he opined.
Singh said PBKS now understand the key moments that cost them games.
