Punjab Kings (PBKS), a franchise that went unbeaten in the first seven games of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, find themselves in a desperate situation after losing 5 games in a row. Their defeat against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday has complicated the playoff qualification scenario, with the team now needing to win both of their remaining matches in order to enter the next round. The franchise’s assistant coach, Brad Haddin, has warned his players to pull up their socks as there’s no margin for error anymore.
After winning 6 of their first 7 games, with one being a no-result, PBKS looked set to secure one of the top two spots. However, a lot has changed since then, with the finalists from the IPL 2026 season no longer sure of even a top 4 finish. Haddin, speaking to the media in the press conference after the game, admitted that the players have to put 100 percent of their focus on the remaining games as they can no longer leave anything for tomorrow.
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,” he said.
Punjab Kings haven’t been able to perform in pressure situations but Haddin said that IPL is such a tournament where handling big moments isn’t optional. He urged his players to step up and play their best cricket in the remaining two league fixtures.
“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 batsman.
Haddin was also asked about the ‘outside noise’ and social media chatter around the team’s poor run over the last 5 games. He said that the players are only focused on what is happening inside the camp. As for the outside noise, he said that is a part of professional sports.
“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. asserted.
Punjab Kings next face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.
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