Punjab Kings seemed almost almost invincible at the start of this IPL season, winning their first six games besides a washout with Kolkata Knight Riders. But since then they have been in free fall with four consecutive losses.
The Shreyas Iyer-led side now find themselves in a position from where they might drop out of the playoffs race if they fail to arrest the slide.
A win against Mumbai Indians in Dharamsala on Thursday will push them to No. 3, but a defeat will leave them perilously close to being overtaken by Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in the standings.
Assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves maintained that despite a few difficult games, there has been no change in the environment of the team and the dressing room, with everybody enjoying a positive outlook.
“It is exactly as what it was when we started. Nothing has changed in the dressing room. We are quite confident about it. Three games are a lot of games, it’s not less, and we hope to do our best,” Gonsalves said on Wednesday.
Mumbai are already out of the playoffs race but are still a force to reckon with given the big names in their side. Hardik Pandya hasn’t travelled to Dharamsala but Suryakumar Yadav is expected to arrive in time and lead them.