Is there a safe total against the Punjab Kings?
Having already successfully chased down 200-plus targets twice in IPL 2026, the Shreyas Iyer-led team on Saturday took their run-scoring spree to another level.
To think that they have chased down 265 with seven balls remaining in a 20-over game might sound unreal. Punjab Kings were merciless in their effort. In a match where 49 boundaries and 33 sixes were hit, with only six wickets falling, the bowlers were the biggest losers.
Punjab Kings’ six-wicket victory at the Kotla in New Delhi was the highest successful chase in IPL overcoming their previous record of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in 2024.
They remain unbeaten this season and on top of the points table with 13 from seven games.
The heart went out to KL Rahul. The Delhi Capitals opener made an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls, the highest T20 score by an Indian, but it still proved to be insufficient.
They let the game slip right through their hands, quite literally, as Karun Nair dropped Shreyas twice.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh set up the chase nicely with a 126-run opening stand off 42 balls, including 116 in the Powerplay. Then Shreyas took over with his unbeaten 71 off 36.
Despite wickets falling at the other end, Shreyas kept his cool and ensured that the asking rate did not slip beyond their reach.
“We have chased around 220 or 225 with a few overs left. So the mindset was very similar... get as many runs as you can in the Powerplay,” Shreyas said.
Punjab’s misses
There seems to be no end to Shashank Singh’s dropped catches. Rahul’s knock could’ve been nipped in the bud had Shashank not dropped a regulation catch at deep square leg when the batter was on 12. Having dropped at least three chances in their previous game against Lucknow Super Giants, Shashank spilt another chance on Saturday, leaving coach Ricky Ponting upset in the dugout.
Rahul often slowed down in the past after the Powerplay, but on Saturday, he didn’t allow the momentum to slip. He got another life on 51 when he offered a return catch, but Vijaykumar Vyshak couldn’t hold onto it.
Nitish Rana at the other end looked solid until Xavier Bartlett had him caught by Shreyas at mid-off for 91 off 44 balls to snap a 220-run stand. Rana smashed Bartlett for a sequence of 6,4,4,4,4,6 in the 12th over.