Yuzvendra Chahal admitted that the overwhelming feeling inside the Punjab Kings dressing room was pure relief after the franchise finally ended its painful six-match losing streak with a crucial victory over Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026. Punjab Kings kept their playoff hopes alive with a dominant seven-wicket win at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, powered by a sensational unbeaten century from captain Shreyas Iyer.
The skipper smashed 101 off just 51 deliveries, while Prabhsimran Singh played an equally important supporting role during their massive 140-run partnership as PBKS chased down 197 in only 18 overs. The victory could not have come at a better time for Punjab. After winning six of their opening seven matches earlier in the season, the team suddenly lost momentum and suffered six consecutive defeats, placing their playoff campaign under serious pressure. Chahal admitted that surviving such a difficult phase mentally was one of the toughest challenges for the squad.
“When you start a season by winning six out of seven games and then suddenly lose six in a row, there comes a point where there’s hardly anything left to say,” Yuzvendra Chahal said after the match. “At that stage, the most important thing is keeping the dressing room united and maintaining a positive atmosphere. We never allowed negative thoughts to enter the camp. Even during practice sessions, the focus remained on ourselves and finding a way to earn those two points. Since it had been nearly a month since our last victory, this win feels very special.”
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Despite the important result, Punjab’s IPL 2026 playoff qualification still depends on other teams. The franchise now needs the Mumbai Indians to defeat the Rajasthan Royals in Sunday’s clash at the Wankhede Stadium. Kolkata Knight Riders also remain in contention and could still leapfrog Punjab on net run rate with a massive win over Delhi Capitals.
Yzuvendra Chahal even joked about temporarily becoming a Mumbai Indians supporter for a day. “We’ll stay in Lucknow and watch tomorrow’s games,” he said with a smile. “Hopefully Rajasthan lose and Rohit Sharma directly scores 200 because it has been a long time.”
🚨Funny statement from Yuzi Chahal on the Mumbai Indians vs RR match:
“I hope Rohit Sharma scores 200 tomorrow, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets out early, and Mumbai Indians win the match so that PBKS can qualify for the playoffs.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/OLTitTr9Qs
— Indian Cricket Ministry (@ICM_News45) May 23, 2026
The veteran leg-spinner then gave a more serious assessment of Punjab’s qualification chances. According to Chahal, Kolkata’s net run-rate equation could prove difficult, especially if they are forced into an unrealistic chase. “I think our chances depend more on the Mumbai vs Rajasthan game,” he explained. “KKR may have to chase a target in 11 or 12 overs, which is never easy. Wankhede is a small ground, but if Mumbai Indians can dismiss Vaibhav Sooryavanshi early, their chances improve significantly.”
Chahal also opened up on the growing difficulties bowlers face in modern T20 cricket. The experienced spinner believes flat pitches, fearless batting approaches and the Impact Player rule have heavily tilted the format in favour of batters over the last two seasons.
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“Earlier, bowlers at least received some assistance from the pitch,” Yuzvendra Chahal said. “But nowadays, most wickets are flat. Maybe Hyderabad was one of the few venues where the ball gripped slightly because of the slower surface and bigger boundaries. Apart from that, batters are dominating almost everywhere.”
He further explained how rising scoring rates have completely changed the mindset required from bowlers in T20 cricket.
“Earlier, teams were happy scoring 50 in the powerplay,” he added. “Now 70 has almost become normal. By the time I come on to bowl, I’m usually facing a set batter already batting on 40 or 50. Then there’s the Impact Player rule, which gives teams another batter. Even if a side loses six or seven wickets, there are still dangerous hitters waiting. So as a bowler, the pressure never really goes away.”
Still, Yuzvendra Chahal remains confident that quality bowlers can continue succeeding despite the batting-friendly conditions dominating IPL cricket.
“I still believe skill matters,” he concluded. “If you have the right skills and plans, you can still perform well. In today’s IPL, even conceding 40 runs in four overs is not necessarily considered a bad outing anymore.”
