Punjab Kings’ fan following is on the rise in the IPL and Arshdeep Singh believes he has played a role in it with his social media game. While Arshdeep keeps himself a funny character on social media with his reels, fellow cricketers are already becoming famous. Apart from this, he also posts a lot about his personal life, which has created a bond with his fans.
During the match against Mumbai Indians, the Punjab franchise received plenty of vocal support as they continued their winning streak in the competition. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Arshdeep said that fans love his reels and he will continue making videos for them.
Arshdeep said, “I love the support. A lot of credit goes to my social media. I love making reels and posting stuff. They love me for it and I will keep doing that for them.”
How Ponting chat helped Arshdeep?
Arshdeep revealed how a simple conversation with Ricky Ponting helped him achieve his best form during the IPL 2026 season. Arshdeep was at his best as he demolished the Mumbai Indians top-order with a powerful spell before finally coming in and ensuring the hosts were confined to the Wankhede Stadium.
The left-arm pacer took 3 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs as MI were restricted to 195 in their 20 overs. PBKS won the match by seven wickets To go to the top of the table.
Speaking after the win, Arshdeep said that he had a frank conversation with the PBKS coach, where he told him that the ball was not coming out of his hands properly.
The Indian fast bowler said that Ponting gave him a clear mindset.
Arshdeep said, “It is related to the conversation with Ricky. I told him that the ball was not coming out of my hand properly. He gave me a clear mindset. Yesterday also I had a good spot bowling session and found that the ball was coming out of my hand well. I swung it and took control.”
The PBKS star said that there were no technical discussions with Ponting and the Australian tactician had asked him to stick to his fundamentals.
“Nothing technical. It kept myself mentally fresh. I was expecting a lot from myself. He told me that you are coming after winning the World Cup and it is never easy. He told me to stick to the basics,” Arshdeep said.
PBKS will take on LSG in their next match on Sunday, April 19 at New Chandigarh.
Players of Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians after the match at Wankhede Stadium. (Photo courtesy: IPL)
New Delhi: Punjab Kings continue their dominance in the ongoing IPL 2026 season after a disappointing performance Mumbai Indians After winning by seven wickets on Thursday, it reached the top of the points table. The win ensured Punjab remained the only unbeaten team so far in the tournament, extending their strong start to nine points from five matches.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The win took PBKS ahead of defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore Rajasthan RoyalsWho are now second and third in the table with eight points each. RCB, led by Rajat PatidarNET hold a slight lead on run rate (+1.503), their best in the season so far, while RR are close behind. The top three are tightly packed, separated by just one point, setting up an intense race for the top spots in the coming fixtures.At the other end of the table, Mumbai Indians’ struggles deepened with their fourth defeat in five matches. The five-time champions are ninth in the ten-team standings with just two points, just above Kolkata Knight Riders, who missed out on a win by one point in a rain-affected match against PBKS earlier in the season.The mid-table contest remains equally hectic between Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Supergiants and. Chennai Super Kings Everyone is stuck at four points each. Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently fourth on net run rate, followed by Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings, underscoring how little difference there is to the middle order of the table at this stage of the competition.With Punjab being in tremendous form and many teams being strongly linked with them, the odds for IPL 2026 remain very good as the tournament is at a crucial stage.
Latest IPL 2026 points table after MI vs PBKS match
Since leaving Kolkata Knight Riders after the title-winning season of 2024, Shreyas Iyer has been in great form in the Indian Premier League. With 604 runs in IPL 2025 with Punjab Kings and a stellar start to IPL 2026 (203 runs at 188 SRs), Iyer has constantly reminded KKR what a terrible mistake they made at the end of 2024.
It was not just the unceremonious dismissal that hurt Shreyas. To add insult to injury, the credit for KKR’s title win went entirely to Gautam Gambhir, who moved to the Indian team after that season.
Iyer went back in IPL Auction pool after many, many years. Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings bought him for Rs 26.75 crore, and the rest, they say, is history. Under a more loving ecosystem, Shreyas Iyer carried himself forward in IPL 2025 and scored 604 runs at a ridiculous strike rate of 175. He was the chief architect of Punjab reaching their first IPL final in over a decade, but unfortunately, the mission remained incomplete.
IPL 2025 shock
A poor day on the field meant Punjab failed to chase 191 in the summit clash of the IPL 2025 season. They not only failed but also collapsed badly, at one point their score was staggering at 94/8 and their hopes of winning the title were gone.
Now keep that figure, 191, in your mind. This is important, but we’ll come back to it a little later.
But that incredible 2025 run was not enough to include him in the Indian T20I squad, which was preparing for the T20 World Cup 2026. Shreyas made a comeback into the team in January this year following a nervous call from the selectors, who wanted to have a replacement ready for India’s struggling middle order.
But that was about it.
However, this did not affect Iyer and his team, Punjab Kings. After losing the 2025 final, Punjab returned to the current edition of the IPL with a goal to win the competition. And they showed it by winning four of their first five matches. They could have also won the fifth match, but the game against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain, when Punjab dominated the hosts in the powerplay.
Players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen have held on in individual games, giving Punjab an unbeaten start to the tournament. But amidst the raging adrenaline, it is the ice-cold nerves of Shreyas Iyer who has continued to maintain order in the Punjab team this season.
Now, remember the ‘191’ we talked about? Lakshya, Punjab bottled up in IPL final?
Perhaps this wound has hit Punjab so deep that they are not ready to give up the chase of even a single target this season.
Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh add 139 runs for 3rd wicket vs MI. (PTI photo)
Punjab Kings: New chasing specialist
Punjab Kings are chasing three targets in IPL 2026. They made a strong start against Gujarat Titans away from home, which they almost thrashed. Young Cooper Connolly pulled the team out of trouble, helping Punjab score 163 runs in 19.1 overs.
If the chase against GT was long, Punjab rectified its mistakes in the next match. Against Chennai Super Kings, they batted with authority and chased down the target of 210 in just 18.4 overs.
Their next target against Sunrisers Hyderabad was even better, as Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya reached the target of 220 runs in 18.5 overs.
And on Thursday, Punjab did the same thing again and while chasing 196 runs, achieved the target in just 16.3 overs.
There are two common themes: one, that he is getting steadily better in the run chase, and two, that after almost giving up the first game, Shreyas Iyer has taken the responsibility of scoring runs on himself in IPL 2026.
Against CSK: 50 runs in 29 balls (SR 172) Against SRH: 69* off 33 balls (SR 209) Against MI: 66 runs in 35 balls (SR 189)
Shreyas Iyer brought tears to MI’s eyes
Shreyas’s batting this season has inspired Virat Kohli, perhaps the greatest chase-master in white-ball history. But in Shreyas’ case, it is not the calm, collected and calculated approach that comes across.
But it’s the arrogance in his shot-making, the arrogance in his stance aimed at the opposition, that constantly throws a unique message at them: I’m going to knock you out of the park, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
in his Latest chase against Mumbai IndiansIyer began his innings with a cover drive off Allah Ghazanfar, who had just taken two wickets. But the wickets column did not bother Iyer at all. Early on, he gave a lot of strike to Prabhsimran Singh, who did not face many balls in the powerplay, and then took matters into his own hands later on.
Once set, Iyer really leaned towards Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, making the pair look ordinary on their home ground. It is not every day that Bumrah comes up with figures of 4-0-41-0, which are as expensive as Shardul’s 3-0-42-1.
Iyer’s innings ended with a sensational catch by Naman Dheer in the 16th over, but by then Punjab had scored 184 runs, which was less than 10 runs away from its target.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, the Punjab captain’s confidence was at its peak as he had gained a lot of confidence from the win.
Shreyas Iyer said, “Definitely confident and optimistic going forward. I think the way we have been playing so far has been phenomenal. And at the same time, we have got our head on our shoulders. We know that each game that we are going to come on the field will be important for us as a team and as a unit. So it is overall a collective effort and I am happy that we came today and got that comprehensive win.” Post-match presentation.
His swag was also at its peak. When asked about the game-changing moment, Iyer did not talk about his batting but pointed to the incredible gravity-defying effort he made to dismiss Quinton de Kock.
A relay catch, Iyer threw himself backwards over the boundary ropes, saved a six and threw the ball back into play for Xavier Bartlett to complete a safe catch. The scorecard will never remember this effort, but whoever witnessed it will never forget it.
“We have a tendency to take the game back, even against SRH the way we bowled after the powerplay, people came together and said, OK, we will make sure to deny the boundaries as much as possible and stay in the present and enjoy the moment rather than thinking about the game beyond,” Iyer said.
Iyer concluded, “I have seen the huge crowd coming in the last few matches and the way they are cheering. I think the fan base is definitely increasing and it is great to see people coming in large numbers to cheer for us, support and shower their love.”
He may be out of the Indian T20I team, he may be out of captaincy consideration, but Shreyas Iyer proves time and again that he is one of the best players in the world when it comes to cricket across all formats.
His logic-defying catches, his attack on Bumrah are proof that this is his time, and it would be a serious mistake for India if they missed it, as KKR did when they let him go after the IPL 2024 season.
New Delhi: Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer displayed his athletic prowess at the boundary during the IPL 2026 clash between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, which has already sparked the “catch of the season” debate.That moment came in the 18th over when Hardik Pandya tried to accelerate. Facing Marco Jansen, Hardik went for a big shot but failed to hit it on middle, sending the ball to long-on. What happened next was pure athletic brilliance.Running quickly to his left, Iyer tracked the ball perfectly to the boundary rope. Sensing that he was about to lose balance and slide forward, he improvised in mid-air, caught the ball with the reverse cup and threw it back into play while still in the air.
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Xavier Bartlett, stationed nearby, completed the catch safely. While Bartlett’s name went into the scorebook, the try was entirely Iyer’s creation.Watch:The reaction said it all. The Mumbai dugout, including Rohit Sharma, stood stunned, while Iyer himself pointed towards the crowd and urged them to embrace the moment. The wicket proved decisive. Hardik’s dismissal on 14 halted Mumbai’s late surge when they were looking to go past 200. Despite that setback, MI still posted a strong score of 195/6, largely thanks to his sensational 112 not out. quinton de kock And Naman Dheer scored a quick 50 runs.Yet, even in an innings full of big runs, it was Iyer’s moments that grabbed the headlines. In a format where boundaries are frequent and margins are slim, such fielding talent can change the momentum in an instant.It remains to be seen whether this turns out to be the best catch of IPL 2026; But for now, Shreyas Iyer has certainly set the benchmark.
Rohit Sharma is expected to miss at least a few matches for Mumbai Indians, as confirmed by captain Hardik Pandya during the toss ahead of the clash against Punjab Kings. Rohit suffered a hamstring injury and had to retire during the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) when he was playing on 19 runs off 13 balls.
A report indicated that Rohit was scanned Before the match on 16 April and was in a race against time to get fit. However, Hardik said that the former Indian captain would need some time to assess his situation. Mumbai Indians are also without the services of Mitchell Santner, as Quinton de Kock has returned to the lineup.
Also, he has given Mayank Rawat a chance to debut for the match.
“Rohit Sharma missed out. He needs to play a few games to see where he stands. Mitchell Santner is also unavailable. Quinton de Kock is back, and we have the first player in Mayank Rawat,” Hardik said.
Rohit has scored 137 runs in four matches for MI so far, starting with a brilliant half-century against KKR. With de Kock in the lineup, he is expected to open the batting along with compatriot Ryan Rickleton. MI is looking to end a three-match losing streak and will have to work hard against an unbeaten PBKS team.
PBKS won the toss at the Wankhede Stadium and elected to field first and made no changes from their previous game against SRH.
Playing XI of Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Johnson, Xavier Bartlett, Vishak Vijaykumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Playing XI of Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dheer, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar.
Effect Options:
Mumbai Indians – Corbin Bosch, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Robin Minz, Ashwini Kumar, Raj Angad Bawa
Former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has expressed serious doubts over India’s prospects Pakistan Resuming bilateral cricket soon citing political interference as the primary hurdle.Speaking on former England captain Michael Vaughan’s YouTube show The Overlap Cricket, Modi suggested that the strained relations between the two boards continue to hinder the chances of any series, even at a neutral venue. Modi cited growing political influence on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a major concern. He commented that if the situation had not been “politicized” through external pressures there might have been “some traction” towards reviving relations.
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Rejecting suggestions that neutral venues could offer a solution, Modi stressed that the issue goes deeper than logistics, with its roots in governance and decision-making within the PCB.Modi reiterated that the situation is unlikely to improve soon, effectively ruling out the possibility of a bilateral series in the near future. “I fear it may not be possible in the near future, mainly because of the politicization by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Pakistan and unfortunately, that’s the way it is,” he said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.He argued that decisions are no longer being taken independently in the cricket world, complicating efforts to organize matches between the two sides. He also expressed concern about the safety of the players in view of the tense atmosphere regarding the India-Pakistan matches.“I was the one who brought Pakistani players to the IPL and then I had to shift them after the 26/11 carnage in Bombay. The problem is that if the Pakistan Cricket Board was independent and run independently, if it was not politically influenced, we would have had some traction. But today the Pakistan Cricket Board has been politicized by those powers and they are pulling the levers and making it political. There is tension between us at that level, at the political level and it is not going away. It’s about to get worse. So I fear for the players,” he said.
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Do you believe that political interference is the main obstacle in India-Pakistan cricket matches?
Last bilateral series between India and Pakistan
The last bilateral series between India and Pakistan took place in 2013–13, when Pakistan toured India for a limited overs series consisting of two T20Is and three ODIs. The T20I series ended in a 1–1 draw, while Pakistan won the ODI series 2–1. Since then, both teams have not featured in any bilateral competitions and have only faced each other in ICC tournaments and multi-national events such as the Asia Cup.
Mumbai Indians have brought in Krish Bhagat as a replacement for the injured Atharva Ankolekar, the move coming at a crucial time as they look to revive their IPL 2026 campaign.
21-year-old all-rounder Bhagat from Punjab has joined the team at his base price of Rs 30 lakh. A right-arm medium pacer who can contribute with the bat lower down the order, he has featured in seven first-class matches and nine List A games. He has also scored a half-century in List A cricket, which highlights his ability to perform wonders with the bat.
The young player is no stranger to the Mumbai setup. He has been a part of the franchise’s trials over the past two years and represented the Reliance team in the DY Patil T20 Cup earlier this year. Bhagat worked closely with the team during the pre-season as a supporting bowler, which would help him easily break into the team.
Ankolekar’s absence has left Mumbai off balance. The left-arm spinning all-rounder, who was part of India’s U19 World Cup squad in 2020, had built a reputation as a reliable utility option. He also played a key role in India’s ACC U19 Asia Cup win in 2019 and earned player of the match honors in the final against Bangladesh.
Mumbai’s decision to bring in Bhagat comes amid a challenging phase of their campaign. Despite starting the season with a win for the first time in 13 years, they have gone into decline with three consecutive losses. Execution, rather than personnel, has been a recurring concern.
His struggles have been particularly evident in the powerplay. In four matches, Mumbai has been able to take just three wickets in the first six overs, including the rain-affected match against Rajasthan Royals. While Jasprit Bumrah has been economical, he has not got a single wicket so far this season. Players like Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya have also struggled to establish early leads.
The batting unit has not performed very well. The middle order, including Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma, has a lot left to do due to lack of intent in the powerplay. While Suryakumar has scored a half-century, Tilak’s returns have been modest.
Now they will face a tough test against a confident Punjab Kings team led by Shreyas Iyer. Punjab have been one of the standout teams this season, recently scoring a blistering 93 runs without loss in the powerplay against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have been in good form, while their batting has been strengthened with the inclusion of Cooper Connolly.
With the momentum against them, Mumbai will hope that Bhagat’s arrival will inject new energy into a team looking for answers.
Mumbai: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s morale is boosted after its 57-run win. Rajasthan Royalswith the captain pat cummins Ready to rejoin the team after recovering from a back injury.A report on Cricket Australia’s website on Thursday said, “The latest scan of his back has cleared the way for Pat Cummins to return to the IPL. Cummins has been allowed to resume bowling without any restrictions after fresh scans of his back in Sydney, paving the way for his return to the IPL.“Cummins’ latest set of scans on Wednesday confirmed the back strain problem that had limited him to one match of professional cricket since last August has now been resolved.“The Australian fast bowler will now return to India on Friday to join his Australia teammate Travis Head at the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise for the remainder of this year’s IPL. Cummins’ latest set of scans on Wednesday confirmed the back strain problem that had limited him to one match of professional cricket since last August has now been resolved.Cummins is expected to rejoin the team in the next few days but will not play immediately. The experienced fast bowler will play for SRH against Rajasthan Royals on April 25. “While Sunrisers play home matches against Chennai Super Kings this weekend and Delhi Capitals next Wednesday, Cummins’ cautious approach to a comeback has seen him target the April 25 match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur for a return to the playing XI,” CA reported.Cummins is expected to take over the captaincy at SRH from India keeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who has led the team so far in Cummins’ absence. Hyderabad team is currently at fourth position in the IPL points table with 2 wins.Cummins’ comeback is on track with his carefully managed plan to play in the second half of the IPL, which could also include the playoffs, before a busy period of Test cricket for Australia that could see him play up to 21 Tests over the next one year.Australia assistant coach Dan Vettori, who is also the head coach of SRH, recently described the fitness of 32-year-old Cummins as “exceptional”. Vettori had said, “His fitness has been exceptional because he’s obviously been out of the game for a long time, so he’s had time to work on that fitness, which is a real block of work around strength and conditioning. It’s obviously been a painstaking process to get to where he feels confident and strong about bowling.”Cummins arrived in India on March 27, a day before Sunrisers Hyderabad’s first match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and returned to Australia after their second match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2.
Coming into the IPL 2026 season, RCB’s bowling attack was lacking certain components. They initially did not have Josh Hazlewood, but his replacement was Jacob Duffy. However, the other missing element was a third fast bowler to complement Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Yash Dayal played this role in their title-winning campaign last year, often coming in as a defensive option and performing well in the death overs. But due to off-field reasons, Dayal was not a part of the RCB team this year. To fill this void they needed to find someone from among themselves.
Abhinandan Singh got the first chance, but he could not live up to the expectations. The next option could have been Mangesh Yadav, as he is a left-arm fast bowler, but RCB chose Rasikh Salam instead.
Rasikh gave his best performance for RCB by taking 4 wickets against LSG. (PTI photo)
Baroda’s fast bowlers have been around IPL Circuit played for MI, KKR and DC for a long time before moving to RCB. Until last season, he seemed to never find a permanent place in any team, often being used as a marginal player. But now it seems to have changed.
In the game against MI, he was used as a defensive option by Patidar to ensure that runs did not come easily. He gave away 23 runs in his 2.5 overs and also took one wicket before leaving the field due to injury.
His first wicket was lucky, as Aiden Markram got a leading edge from a full toss down the leg side. But he then bowled a brilliant second over against big-hitters Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran, conceding just two runs to signal the end of the powerplay.
The wicket of Ayush Badoni was all about using conditions to your advantage – something you often see in Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar.
But it was his duel with Mukul Choudhary that became India Today’s game of the day for the clash in Chinnaswamy.
Rasikh defeats Mukul in stand-off
This was unlike any other innings Mukul in his short IPL career so far When he came out, LSG were in trouble. He started with a four, but had to be careful with his approach.
This was not Eden’s pitch and the bowling attack looked much more disciplined with its plans. The LSG youngster scored 33 runs in 26 balls and looked ready to explode.
This was the last over of the innings and Mukul was always looking to play a big innings. Patidar handed over the responsibility of closing things down to Rasikh.
There was a stalemate and Rasikh’s first ball was slow. Mukul seemed to have enough time to play two shots and he produced the power to send it into the crowd.
Rasikh managed to end Mukul’s show early and played a vital role in RCB’s victory. (PTI photo)
Fans were expecting a big over and Mukul looked determined to perform well. But then, Rasikh bowled a full delivery which went through Mukul’s legs and hit the leg stump.
The beauty of delivery lies in planning. Realizing that a slower ball was expected, the RCB fast bowler bowled faster and touched 139 kmph.
He could have stuck to his original plan, but instead he troubled Mukul by pitching a bit down the leg side. The change in pace made all the difference and he got the wicket.
Rasikh finished the over with another brilliant yorker, this time removing Avesh Khan’s off stump. He took 4 wickets for 24 runs in his four overs and earned praise from Master Hazlewood himself.
“Rasikh obviously didn’t play the first few games but got picked in the last two and he’s been home training. He’s got some good skills. We’ve seen that in the last few games. He bowls tough overs as well. It’s a big tournament for Rasikh,” Hazlewood said.
With RCB firmly on course to retain their crown, a bowler like Rasikh could prove to be the difference in the end. After years of bouncing between teams, he finally found a home and earned the trust of the RCB faithful.
RCB and LSG players after the match in Bengaluru. (Photo courtesy: IPL)
New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore moved to the top of the Indian Premier League 2026 points table after an impressive five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. It was the defending champions’ fourth win in five matches, taking them to 8 points and leading Rajasthan Royals On net run rate in a tightly packed early season race.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!RCB now boasts the best net run rate in the league at +1.503, underscoring their dominance in both batting and bowling so far this season. Rajasthan Royals are close behind with +0.889, leaving the race for the top spot wide open after just over two weeks of action.
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For Lucknow Super Giants, the defeat – already their third in five matches – means they are stuck in seventh place, no change from where they started the day. However, the defeat further dented his campaign as his net run rate dropped to -0.804, adding additional pressure to his inconsistent start.Punjab Kings remain the only unbeaten team in the competition so far, sitting third with 7 points from four matches, with three wins and one rain-affected no result. Their steady form has kept them firmly at the top end of the table.The mid-table remains quite crowded, with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings all having four points each. SRH is currently placed fourth due to better net run rate, while DC, GT, LSG and CSK are in the same order based on minor differences in their positions.Mumbai Indians are in ninth place with just one win from four matches so far, collecting two points. At the bottom of the table are Kolkata Knight Riders, the only winning team this season, with a single point after a defeat against Punjab Kings.
latest ipl 2026 points table after rcb vs lsg match
