India, May 26 -- A six-match losing streak meant Punjab Kings never truly had their fate in their own hands. They did arrest the slide with captain Shreyas Iyer smashing a sensational century in PBKS's final league game of the IPL 2026 season, but even that was not enough. With the Rajasthan Royals beating the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on the final day of the league phase, Punjab were knocked out. A year after reaching the final for the first time in nine years, PBKS finished fifth in the table, just one point short despite boasting a superior net run rate to the Royals, who sealed the final playoff berth.

During that six-match losing streak, Shreyas' sister, Shresta, was relentlessly trolled on social media over the viral "...