Punjab Kings started their IPL 2026 campaign with six wins from seven games and one being a no-result because of rain. But from there the script flipped with PBKS registering five straight losses, making their playoff qualification tricky. Their latest defeat to Mumbai Indians on Thursday making their scene complicated as they now need to win their last two matches to ensure qualification to the playoffs.
The franchise’s assistant coach Brad Haddin has already sounded the alarm while addressing the press conference after the match and said there is no other way out than to win the last two matches. At one point, PBKS were favourites to seal the first playoff first, but now as things stand a top four finish looks difficult for the last edition’s finalists.
“We’ve still got two games to go. And the one thing is that destiny is still in our hands. We have to find a way. And now, there’s no tomorrow. There’s no talking about anything else. We have to win our remaining games now. And that’s as simple as it is. We’re as disappointed as you guys with the way we started the tournament and where we are now. We have to find a way now to play our best cricket in the next couple of games to hopefully get the opportunity to play in the finals,” Haddin said.
Haddin urged his players to step up and play their best cricket in the remaining two games. Punjab next face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.
“I think the whole tournament, it’s pressure the whole time. And especially this stage where we’re at the tournament, this is what IPL cricket is about. You’ve got to be able to handle the big moments, you’ve got to be able to handle pressure. We just haven’t been able to handle the pressure in the last few defeats. We haven’t played our best cricket when we need to, which has been disappointing. You’ve got to not think about the outcome. You’ve got to make sure you find a way to get yourself involved in the game,” said the former Australia wicketkeeper.
Haddin was also asked about the criticism and discussions on social media surrounding the team’s poor run in the last five matches. He said the players are focused only on what is happening within the team camp and are not paying attention to the outside chatter.
“The dressing room has been good. I’m not up with social media, so I don’t know really what the situation is there. But from inside the camp, we’ve just got to find a way to win a cricket game. Whatever the external noise is, that’s part of playing a professional sport. It’s not always just about the field. You’ve got to deal with everything outside it and make sure when you get across that line, you’re in the right headspace to play,” Haddin said.
