Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer admitted that while his side enjoyed a "fairytale" start to the 2026 IPL season, their recent slump is a worrying sign heading into the business end of the tournament. Punjab had emerged as the team to beat with six wins from their first seven matches, but have since suffered three consecutive defeats, including a 33-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Wednesday.

"I feel we got a fairytale start in the tournament, and everyone was in a great space. If we are going to continue with the same form, that's not going to help us," Iyer said at the post-match presentation. The Kings endured yet another disappointing outing in the field, with dropped catches and missed stumpings proving costly.