Top News

Punjab Kings had a tough day at the office against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2026 fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The story was a spilled catch by Shashank Singh that gave Heinrich Klaasen an early opportunity to pile on the runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Shashank, who was included in the team for this game after missing a couple of games prior, seemed to have no grip on a fairly easy catch. Klaasen, with all his might, capitalized on the life he received and went on to score a brutal 69 that helped SRH rack up an imposing total of 235/4 in their 20 overs, leaving Punjab Kings struggling to get anywhere near.

Ricky Ponting, the head coach of Punjab Kings, also touched on this aspect during the match speaking to the commentators and said:

"Poor Shashank Singh, it seems the ball is flying everywhere he’s going. It has been a bit of a virus."

The comment immediately found some reaction, with many on social media calling it an accurate take by Ricky on Shashank’s woes on the field.

Also Read | Tough class from Shreyas Iyer waiting in dugout? PBKS fielders awful fielding show against SRH stunned captain

Shashank wasn't the only Punjab King to have a bad day with the bat, as Cooper Connolly had dropped Ishan Kishan at deep square off Lockie Ferguson in the eighth over, only to drop him a couple of overs later.

Kishan then went on to capitalize and scored 55 runs to add insult to injury and with so many catches being dropped PBKS were unable to build any momentum and pressure on SRH.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit then feasted on this, and with the runs coming from across the board they put up a commanding total, with the Punjab Kings having a massive task at hand to chase them down after losing vital opportunities in the field.

Yet another reminder of how crucial fielding can be, particularly in high-scoring encounters.