MI vs PBKS, IPL 2026: De Kock ton in vain as Prabhsimran, Shreyas extend Punjab Kings’ unbeaten run Prabhsimran Singh brought up his second half-century of the season as Punjab Kings aced another tall chase, this time against Mumbai Indians, to maintain its unbeaten run in the IPL 2026 on Thursday
Despite the cheers of a packed Wankhede Stadium for the home team, the in-form Prabhsimran continued his dream run with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, forging a crucial 139-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer (66, 35b, 5×4, 4×6) for the third wicket to ensure that Punjab Kings chased down Mumbai Indians’ 195 for 6 with seven wickets in hand and silence the crowd.
Quinton de Kock, stepping in for the injured Rohit Sharma, smashed an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls and Naman Dhir made the most of a reprieve to score a fifty and stitch a 122-run stand off 68 balls for the third wicket, helping Mumbai recover from 12 for 2.
Punjab began the chase briskly. The visitors raced to 21 in the opening over before Allah Ghazanfar struck twice to remove Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly, briefly checking the momentum.
However, Prabhsimran quickly took charge and ensured there were no further hiccups. Keeping the required rate under control, he played freely and punished anything loose, while rotating strike effectively.
At the other end, Shreyas complemented him perfectly, playing the sheet-anchor role, before eventually clearing the ropes. The duo mixed caution with aggression, steadily closing in on the target with a composed approach.
Also read | Train smarter, not harder — Ramji Srinivasan decodes how IPL’s OG superstars can stave off injuries
As the partnership blossomed, Mumbai’s bowlers struggled to make an impact, as none could find a breakthrough. It turned into another wicketless outing for Jasprit Bumrah, adding to Mumbai’s concerns.
Earlier, Arshdeep Singh gave Punjab the perfect start by removing Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav off successive deliveries, becoming the first Punjab Kings bowler to claim 100 IPL wickets.
Though Mumbai recovered through Dhir and de Kock’s counterattack, the total proved insufficient on a good batting surface, as Punjab’s clinical chase underlined its dominance and consistency this season.
With the chase executed with authority and calm, Punjab Kings once again showcased its depth and balance, leaving MI with plenty to ponder as its campaign continued to stutter.
Published on Apr 16, 2026
#PBKS #IPL #Kock #ton #vain #Prabhsimran #Shreyas #extend #Punjab #Kings #unbeaten #run
Prabhsimran Singh brought up his second half-century of the season as Punjab Kings aced another tall chase, this time against Mumbai Indians, to maintain its unbeaten run in the IPL 2026 on Thursday
Despite the cheers of a packed Wankhede Stadium for the home team, the in-form Prabhsimran continued his dream run with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, forging a crucial 139-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer (66, 35b, 5×4, 4×6) for the third wicket to ensure that Punjab Kings chased down Mumbai Indians’ 195 for 6 with seven wickets in hand and silence the crowd.
Quinton de Kock, stepping in for the injured Rohit Sharma, smashed an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls and Naman Dhir made the most of a reprieve to score a fifty and stitch a 122-run stand off 68 balls for the third wicket, helping Mumbai recover from 12 for 2.
Punjab began the chase briskly. The visitors raced to 21 in the opening over before Allah Ghazanfar struck twice to remove Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly, briefly checking the momentum.
However, Prabhsimran quickly took charge and ensured there were no further hiccups. Keeping the required rate under control, he played freely and punished anything loose, while rotating strike effectively.
At the other end, Shreyas complemented him perfectly, playing the sheet-anchor role, before eventually clearing the ropes. The duo mixed caution with aggression, steadily closing in on the target with a composed approach.
Also read | Train smarter, not harder — Ramji Srinivasan decodes how IPL’s OG superstars can stave off injuries
As the partnership blossomed, Mumbai’s bowlers struggled to make an impact, as none could find a breakthrough. It turned into another wicketless outing for Jasprit Bumrah, adding to Mumbai’s concerns.
Earlier, Arshdeep Singh gave Punjab the perfect start by removing Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav off successive deliveries, becoming the first Punjab Kings bowler to claim 100 IPL wickets.
Though Mumbai recovered through Dhir and de Kock’s counterattack, the total proved insufficient on a good batting surface, as Punjab’s clinical chase underlined its dominance and consistency this season.
With the chase executed with authority and calm, Punjab Kings once again showcased its depth and balance, leaving MI with plenty to ponder as its campaign continued to stutter.
Published on Apr 16, 2026
![Ayush Shetty: Asian Championship run gives me confidence that I can maintain level for longer period Last month, when India’s squad for the Thomas & Uber Cup was announced, Ayush Shetty was a young-and-upcoming 20-year-old who was getting his maiden call up.When India takes to the court in Denmark from April 24, he will be its most in-form player, having made a stirring run to the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) final in China last week.He has broken into the world’s top-20 and there will be expectations galore. But he is confidence personified, despite 2026 being only his second full year on the senior circuit.“My expectations [from myself] are always high, and I take people’s expectations as a challenge,” Ayush said at the Centre for Badminton Excellence here on Thursday.“When I won the Super 300 [U.S. Open in 2025], I did not see it as a surprise. Even when I got a confirmed medal at the Asian Championship, I believed that I could win the tournament,” the World No. 18 added.This confidence manifested in three straight victories over top-10 players at BAC – the then World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, No. 4 Jonatan Christie and No. 7 Li Shi Feng.“I had never beaten three top-10 players,” stated Ayush, who was No. 25 then. “It has always been like one victory [over an elite player] and then a loss. This run gives me the confidence that I can maintain my level for a longer period. Even my second round opponent Chi Yu Jen (No. 20) was a very tricky player.“Going into the All England [in early March], I felt that I was at my 100%. But the results were different (first round defeat). That is why BAC was important – to keep my confidence and belief high.”The one dull moment in an otherwise golden few days for Ayush was the retirement on Tuesday of double Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, whom he idolises and has even trained with in Dubai.“It’s a bit sad. I always wanted him to retire on the court. He deserved it,” said Ayush about the great Dane who last played competitively in October 2025.“I had told him in 2024 that we will play [competitively] soon. He said ‘sure, I have a couple of more years’. I will always have the regret that I could never play him.”Published on Apr 16, 2026 #Ayush #Shetty #Asian #Championship #run #confidence #maintain #level #longer #period](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/nuklw5/article70870299.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/AFP_A7FV7G8.jpg?ssl=1 "Ayush Shetty: Asian Championship run gives me confidence that I can maintain level for longer period Last month, when India’s squad for the Thomas & Uber Cup was announced, Ayush Shetty was a young-and-upcoming 20-year-old who was getting his maiden call up.When India takes to the court in Denmark from April 24, he will be its most in-form player, having made a stirring run to the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) final in China last week.He has broken into the world’s top-20 and there will be expectations galore. But he is confidence personified, despite 2026 being only his second full year on the senior circuit.“My expectations [from myself] are always high, and I take people’s expectations as a challenge,” Ayush said at the Centre for Badminton Excellence here on Thursday.“When I won the Super 300 [U.S. Open in 2025], I did not see it as a surprise. Even when I got a confirmed medal at the Asian Championship, I believed that I could win the tournament,” the World No. 18 added.This confidence manifested in three straight victories over top-10 players at BAC – the then World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, No. 4 Jonatan Christie and No. 7 Li Shi Feng.“I had never beaten three top-10 players,” stated Ayush, who was No. 25 then. “It has always been like one victory [over an elite player] and then a loss. This run gives me the confidence that I can maintain my level for a longer period. Even my second round opponent Chi Yu Jen (No. 20) was a very tricky player.“Going into the All England [in early March], I felt that I was at my 100%. But the results were different (first round defeat). That is why BAC was important – to keep my confidence and belief high.”The one dull moment in an otherwise golden few days for Ayush was the retirement on Tuesday of double Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, whom he idolises and has even trained with in Dubai.“It’s a bit sad. I always wanted him to retire on the court. He deserved it,” said Ayush about the great Dane who last played competitively in October 2025.“I had told him in 2024 that we will play [competitively] soon. He said ‘sure, I have a couple of more years’. I will always have the regret that I could never play him.”Published on Apr 16, 2026 #Ayush #Shetty #Asian #Championship #run #confidence #maintain #level #longer #period")
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