Yuzvendra Chahal described relief as the dominant feeling after Punjab Kings ended a six-match losing streak with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday, keeping their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive.

Iyer and Prabhsimran power the chase

The win was built on a masterclass from skipper Shreyas Iyer, who struck an unbeaten 101 off 51 balls, stitching together a 140-run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh. Punjab chased down a target of 197 with 12 balls to spare, vaulting to fourth place on the standings.

The weight of a month-long slump

The victory came after a dramatic reversal of fortunes. Punjab had won six of their opening seven matches before collapsing to six consecutive defeats, pushing their campaign to the edge. Chahal, speaking on JioHotstar after the match, said the hardest part of the slump was keeping the group together mentally.

'When you win six of your first seven matches and then go on to lose the next six, after a point, there's nothing left to say. How you keep the team together and the environment close-knit becomes key. So, there were never any negative thoughts. Even during practice, the focus was on ourselves and how we could get those two points because it had been almost a month since we last won a game. So, this win feels special,' Chahal said.

Playoff permutations: What Punjab need

Punjab's qualification is still not in their own hands. They require Mumbai Indians to beat Rajasthan Royals on Sunday to stay in contention. Additionally, Kolkata Knight Riders could still leapfrog them on net run-rate with a substantial win over Delhi Capitals.

Chahal, with characteristic wit, joked about temporarily backing Mumbai: 'Hopefully, RR lose tomorrow and Rohit Sharma scores 200 directly, it's been a long time.' Turning more analytical, he added: 'I think our chances depend more on the day game because KKR might have to chase down a total in 11-12 overs, which can be a bit difficult. It's Wankhede, a small ground, so if they get Vaibhav out cheaply, I think Mumbai Indians' chances of winning will be high.'

Chahal on bowlers' battle in modern T20s

The leg-spinner also used the occasion to reflect on the growing challenge for bowlers in contemporary T20 cricket, citing flatter pitches, the Impact Player rule, and escalating powerplay benchmarks as factors tilting the game firmly toward batters.

'Earlier, you used to get a little bit of turn and assistance from the wickets, but in the last two years, I don't think the wickets have offered much help. Maybe apart from Hyderabad, where I got it to grip a bit because it was slow and the boundaries were big. But apart from that, every ground seems to be flat,' he observed.

He elaborated on how run-rate inflation has reshaped bowling strategy: 'Earlier, teams were okay with a 50-run powerplay, but these days, 65-70 has become the norm. That means when I come on to bowl, I'm often bowling to a set batter already on 40 or 50, and then there's an extra batter to counter because of the Impact Player rule. So, as a bowler, you are under immense pressure.' Despite these headwinds, Chahal remained measured: 'I still feel that if you have skill, you can bowl well. Because of these high scores, if a bowler goes for 40 in four overs, it's not considered bad these days.'

With one result still needed to go their way, Punjab's IPL 2026 fate hangs on Sunday's outcomes at the Wankhede Stadium.