Punjab Kings Face Third Consecutive Loss Despite Connolly's Century

In a challenging match, Punjab Kings fell to Sunrisers Hyderabad, marking their third straight loss in IPL 2026. Despite a remarkable century from Cooper Connolly, who became the youngest overseas player to achieve this milestone, the team's fielding errors proved costly. Coach Sairaj Bahutule praised Connolly's performance while highlighting the impact of dropped catches on the game's outcome. Sunrisers Hyderabad's effective bowling strategy further compounded Punjab's struggles, leaving them to regroup for future matches.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 7, 2026, 14:02 IST

Punjab Kings Struggle Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

On Wednesday, Punjab Kings experienced their third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, falling short of a 236-run target set by Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite an impressive unbeaten century from Cooper Connolly.

In just his 10th IPL appearance, Connolly achieved his first T20 century at Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad. The 22-year-old became the youngest overseas player to score a century in IPL history, finishing with 107 runs off 59 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes. He has accumulated 377 runs for PBKS, making him the franchise's top run-scorer this season.

Praise for Connolly from PBKS Coach

Sairaj Bahutule, the spin bowling coach for PBKS, commended Connolly's remarkable performance, referring to him as a 'team player'. In the post-match press conference, he stated, "He has great potential and will have a long career with Australia. He is developing into an excellent all-rounder and is a fantastic fielder. Despite the circumstances, he maintained the momentum and aimed to close the gap on the target, which is crucial for our net run rate. His adaptability to Indian conditions has been impressive, and I believe he has a bright future ahead."

Fielding Errors Costly for Punjab Kings

Bahutule highlighted that dropped catches were a significant factor in the team's loss. After winning the toss, Punjab Kings chose to bowl first. Although they managed to reduce SRH to 86/2 in the seventh over, missed catches proved detrimental. SRH finished with a formidable score of 235/4, bolstered by fifties from Heinrich Klaasen (69*) and Ishan Kishan (55), along with solid contributions from Travis Head (38) and Abhishek Sharma (35). Chahal was the standout bowler for PBKS, taking 1 wicket for 32 runs in 4 overs.

Reflecting on the match, Bahutule remarked, "We had strategies in place for SRH's top three batters, who have been key scorers. While we executed our plans, the dropped catches significantly impacted us. Taking those catches was crucial, as failing to do so allowed their players to score quickly. Had we caught those, we might have limited their score by at least 50 runs."

Sunrisers Hyderabad's Bowling Strategy

On the bowling front, SRH's Pat Cummins effectively managed his bowlers to prevent PBKS from gaining any momentum. The wicket-takers for SRH included Cummins (2/34), Shivang Kumar (2/45), Sakib Hussain (1/40), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/11 in 2 overs).