'Why has it gone so bad for PBKS?' - Aakash Chopra answers ahead of clash vs MI

Published - 14 May 2026, 15:17 IST | Updated - 14 May 2026, 15:52 IST

Aakash Chopra shared his views on Punjab Kings' (PBKS) recent run of losses after starting the IPL 2026 campaign with six wins from seven matches. Shreyas Iyer and Co. would want their four-match losing streak to snap as the tournament trickles towards its business.

On Thursday, May 14, PBKS square off against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Last year's finalists, PBKS, have to bounce back to winning ways before things get too tense in the mid-half of the table.

Chopra opined that one of the major reasons why they are not winning games now is the fact that they are losing tosses. Batting first hasn't been ideal for the Kings, said Chopra. The former India opener advised the PBKS batters to get a total of around 240 if they are batting first.

"Punjab have suffered four defeats. Why has it gone so bad for them? It's gone bad because they are not winning tosses now. In their first six wins, they had won five tosses, chased five times, and won. The one time they got to bat first, they scored 250-plus and won. One was, of course, a washed-out game," he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"After that, they have won only one toss in four losses. They lost that game for sure, although they scored more than 200 runs there as well. They got to bat first in the other three. You score 200-plus runs, barring the game against GT, but you are unable to win matches. So score 240 if you get to bat first, and the job will become easier if you win the toss," he observed.

Hardik to miss PBKS vs MI tie despite training for 3 hours

The weather hasn't been great in Dharamsala as it has been raining. Chopra believes that Punjab won't mind taking a point from a washout as they could then progress with one win from their next two matches.

"That's point one. Secondly, it's raining in Dharamsala. If it rains and both teams get a point apiece, I think Punjab will take it. Punjab will not be at a loss. They will benefit only because you will reach 14 points, and then if you win one of the next two games, in which one match is against LSG and the other is against RCB, you will be on 16 points, and you are also through because no one will be able to beat them on net run rate," Chopra elaborated.