Haddin, Thakur play down rumours as PBKS slump deepens

Brad Haddin, PBKS's assistant coach, has distanced himself from the outside noise surrounding the team, leading up to their fifth defeat on the trot in IPL 2026.

Speaking on Thursday (May 14) after their last-over loss to Mumbai Indians, Haddin insisted that the dressing room is keyed into breaking their losing streak.

"The dressing room has been good. I'm not up with social media. So, I don't know really what the situation is there," Haddin said at the post-match press conference in Dharamsala.

"But from inside the camp, we've just got to find a way to win a cricket game. Whatever the external noise is, that's part of playing a professional sport. It's not always just about the field. You've got to deal with everything outside it and make sure when you get across that line you're in the right headspace to play. And that's exactly what we need to do. And now there's no talking about what ifs."

On Wednesday, Punjab Kings posted a tweet responding to social media chatter: "Criticism, banter, and opinions are part of sport. Fake stories and made-up narratives for cheap engagement are not."

Their latest loss has complicated their road to the playoffs; cruising at the top at one point, they now face intense competition from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for the fourth spot.

Mumbai Indians, already eliminated, were led by Jasprit Bumrah, with both Suryakumar Yadav and regular captain Hardik Pandya absent. Pandya missed the last two games due to back spasms, but Cricbuzz understands there is no possibility of him being traded.

When asked about the rumours, Shardul Thakur said: "Plenty of discussions keep happening on social media, some are right, some are wrong, but these are also management decisions. Hardik had an injury, so he was not able to travel for two games. He travelled to Raipur but was not able to play, now he is training in Mumbai."

Despite key resources missing, Mumbai chased down 201, with Tilak Varma scoring a 33-ball 75* at No.4. With three overs to go, MI needed 50 runs, but Punjab's bowlers couldn't get their lines right.

Haddin admitted PBKS have succumbed to pressure lately. "We just haven't been able to handle the pressure in the last few defeats. We haven't played our best cricket when we need to, which has been disappointing."

Despite mounting losses, Haddin pointed to "good signs" against MI, saying "destiny is still in our hands. We've got two games of cricket left and we've got to find a way. There's no tomorrow. There's no talking about anything else. We have to win our remaining games now."