The loss to Rajasthan Royals in New Chandigarh has answered that question. And while Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting will not be overly concerned by the result itself, there are signs emerging from this defeat that go beyond a straightforward law-of-averages correction in the middle of the season. The bowling cracks that have quietly existed beneath PBKS’s extraordinary batting performances are beginning to widen — and those closest to the game are taking notice.
Fast-bowling coach James Hopes kept it measured after the match, saying they need to “just tidy a few things up.” But analyst Piyush Chawla called the result — PBKS’s first defeat of the season — “an eye opener.” Both he and Abhinav Mukund agreed on one specific area of alarm: the form of Arshdeep Singh.
The Context: Batting First for Only the Second Time
Much of the success Punjab Kings have had in IPL 2026 has been built on their spectacular batting. When that batting was a little below-par against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, the bowlers could not make up for the difference.
This was only the second occasion this season that PBKS had batted first. The first time — against Lucknow Super Giants at the same venue in New Chandigarh — their batters had played the opposition completely out of the game by posting 254. Defending 222 against the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was always going to demand disciplined, well-executed bowling.
Iyer described the pitch as “tacky and slow” and praised his batters for batting “exceptionally” to reach that total. But he was equally quick to acknowledge that his bowlers did not execute the plan — to “bowl a lot of slower balls, pace-off, yorkers.”
“I honestly thought it was going to be very neck-and-neck because they would bowl a bit more slower balls after watching us bowl it,” said Riyan Parag in a candid post-match interview. “But yeah, I think the way they [Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey] batted — immense, commendable.“
The Execution Problem: Slower Balls That Did Not Slow Anyone Down
The data from the match tells a precise story about what went wrong. Iyer had been explicit about the plan — bowl slower balls, pace-off deliveries, and yorkers. Punjab Kings did bowl more than twice the number of slower balls that Rajasthan Royals used. But the results were dismal.
| Slower Ball Stats vs RR | Figure |
|---|---|
| PBKS slower balls bowled | More than 2x RR’s total |
| Runs conceded off slower balls | 64 off 27 deliveries |
| Wickets taken off slower balls | 0 |
| RR’s Brijesh Sharma (slower balls) | 9 runs conceded off 7 slower balls |
64 runs off 27 slower balls for zero wickets. That is not a plan that was abandoned — it is a plan that was attempted and comprehensively failed in execution. Whether the deliveries were too far off their marks or the pitch had settled sufficiently for batters to read them comfortably, the outcome was the same: PBKS’s primary defensive weapon made no impact whatsoever.
As Chawla noted on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut: “[The loss to RR] is good, it’s like an eye-opener. Because the DC game also — okay, I understand record chase, everything… good wicket — but still, if you’re conceding 265 [264] runs, that is a matter of worry.” It bears remembering that PBKS chased down Delhi Capitals’ 264 with seven balls in hand — but the runs conceded column does not disappear simply because the batting rescued the situation.
Iyer said as much. “They didn’t quite execute what was discussed and planned.” The honesty was admirable. The implications are concerning.
The Wider Bowling Picture: A Systemic Issue
What elevates this from a one-match anomaly to a genuine area of concern is the pattern that has been building across PBKS’s season. The batting has been so exceptional that the bowling numbers have been somewhat obscured. But they exist, and they are troubling.
| PBKS Bowling Stats (IPL 2026, 7 Completed Innings) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Scores of 200+ conceded | 5 |
| Scores of 195+ conceded | 6 |
| Runs conceded per over | 10.5 (2nd most in IPL) |
| Runs per wicket | 41.72 (most in IPL) |
Only Mumbai Indians have conceded more runs per over than PBKS’s 10.5 across the season. And nobody in the competition comes close to the 41.72 runs Punjab Kings have spent for each of their 36 wickets — a figure that reflects a bowling attack that has taken wickets at a deeply expensive rate throughout the tournament.
The comparison with Royal Challengers Bengaluru — currently one point behind PBKS in the standings — is instructive. RCB rank second from the bottom on runs conceded per over but second from the top on runs scored per over. They are winning with something approaching genuine balance. PBKS, by contrast, have been winning primarily because their batters have been doing unbelievable things. That is not a sustainable model for a deep playoff run.
The Arshdeep Problem: Numbers That Cannot Be Ignored
The individual most central to PBKS’s bowling difficulties is Arshdeep Singh — a long-time Punjab Kings man, the leader of their fast-bowling attack, and currently enduring his worst IPL season by a significant margin.
| Arshdeep Singh — IPL 2026 Stats | Figure |
|---|---|
| Wickets in 8 games | 8 |
| Economy rate | 10.96 |
| Wides bowled | 19 |
| Legal deliveries bowled | 180 |
| Wides as % of legal deliveries | 10.56% |
The wide count is particularly alarming. Of the 33 bowlers to have bowled 120 or more balls this season, Arshdeep is the only one to have bowled more than 10% of his legal deliveries as wides — 19 out of 180 (10.56%). The next closest is Eshan Malinga at 16 out of 162 (9.88%).
Against RR specifically, Arshdeep bowled just one wide — but conceded 68 runs in four overs: 15 and 22 in two powerplay overs, 14 in the 15th over, and 17 in the 18th.
“A concern. Because Arshdeep Singh, no matter how many runs he leaks, he comes back in the death, nails the yorkers. We’ve always known Arshdeep to be a very, very good yorker bowler,” said Abhinav Mukund on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut. “I don’t mind him going for those wides, because he aims for those wide lines. But today I felt that planning was amiss.”
Chawla went further: “He’s somebody who’s known to pick up wickets with the new ball, and that’s not been happening. The game he picks up wickets with the new ball, he ends up bowling a wonderful spell. That’s what happened against MI [3 for 22]. But this season, he’s going at almost 11 runs per over. And I understand that he bowls those difficult overs in the powerplay and then at the death, but still he’s your premium bowler.”
The longer-term worry, as Chawla articulated, is what this means when the stakes are highest: “A game or two games here and there, you can expect [him to do badly], but it’s happening most of the time. Then it is a matter of concern, because if you look at the bigger picture — when you’re going into the playoffs — then you have to think about it. What if something like this happened in a playoff game? Then you’re playing a catch-up game.“
The Silver Linings: Ferguson and Brar Offer New Dimensions
It was not, however, entirely gloomy in New Chandigarh. Bowling coach James Hopes acknowledged the result did not look great, but there were meaningful positives embedded in the defeat that could shape PBKS’s approach going forward.
“We went in with a slightly different look tonight, our two spinners [Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar] bowled very well, and we got Lockie Ferguson into the tournament, which is a good result with six pool games to go,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got things we can tidy up, but I think the game that’s being played now, especially in the first six overs, it’s hard for the fast bowlers. Brar bowled a beautiful over today [two runs in the fifth over], so maybe spin might be an option.”
The introduction of Lockie Ferguson, returning from paternity leave, allowed Punjab Kings to go one fast bowler lighter in their XI and trial the left-arm spin of Harpreet Brar. The spinner delivered four overs for just 25 runs — a composed and economical contribution that immediately raises the possibility of a genuine point of difference in PBKS’s bowling attack.
The combination of two spinners gives them something they have lacked — variety, and a potential powerplay option that could catch opponents off guard. Ferguson, for his part, conceded 57 in four overs but showed enough glimpses of his quality and pace to justify the faith placed in him.
| New Bowling Options vs RR | Figures |
|---|---|
| Harpreet Brar (overs) | 4 |
| Harpreet Brar (runs) | 25 |
| Lockie Ferguson (overs) | 4 |
| Lockie Ferguson (runs) | 57 |
The Road Ahead
Punjab Kings now face two away fixtures before returning for three consecutive home games at their second home of Dharamsala — a venue where conditions may suit their spin options considerably better. The coming games offer an opportunity to reset, regroup, and find the bowling combinations that can match the extraordinary standard their batters have set all season.
The message from this defeat is simple. PBKS cannot keep asking their batters to do unbelievable things every time out. The bowling needs to find its own level of reliability. Before the knockout stages arrive, the cracks that have been quietly widening need to be addressed.
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