Sairaj Bahutule, spin bowling coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS), commended bowler Arshdeep Singh and batter Prabhsimran Singh for their significant contributions to PBKS' convincing seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Thursday.
Arshdeep Singh delivered impressive bowling figures of 3/22 in 4 overs, restricting MI to 195/6 despite an unbeaten 112-run innings by Quinton de Kock. Prabhsimran Singh made the chase straightforward with an unbeaten 80 runs off 39 balls, guiding PBKS to victory in 16.3 overs. Arshdeep, who had conceded numerous runs in earlier IPL 2026 matches, received the Player of the Match award for his bowling performance against MI. His wickets included Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav and Sherfane Rutherford.
At the post-match press conference, Bahutule praised Arshdeep for his strong comeback, stating, “I think he’s been a fabulous bowler over the period of time for India and for the franchise. I think T20 is a very tough competition in which every game is different, conditions are different and you have to respond, and expectations are high. Arshdeep is a very self-aware, and understanding the nuances of the game, he went back to his basics in the last couple of days he did a lot of spot bowling, target bowling, and he really came back with understanding that he has to just focus on what he does best. I think that’s what he did in this game. His execution with the old and the semi-new ball was excellent.”
Bahutule also acknowledged Prabhsimran Singh’s consistent performances at the top of the order and credited head coach Ricky Ponting’s positive influence in the dressing room. He said, “Prabh [Prabhsimran] is a fabulous player. He’s been performing for Punjab Kings for a couple of years and he’s been very consistent at the top order. I think a lot to do with Ricky also being in the in the changing room. He himself being so positive, I think he rubs it across to all the batters in terms of approaching innings and things like that and Prab has responded really well to that.”
After PBKS elected to field first, MI scored 195/6, featuring a 122-run partnership between Quinton de Kock, who finished unbeaten on 112 from 60 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, and Naman Dhir who contributed 50 runs from 31 balls with three fours and three sixes. Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler for PBKS. Despite losing early wickets, Prabhsimran Singh’s unbeaten 80 from 39 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer’s 66 from 35 balls, including five fours and four sixes, propelled PBKS to the target in 16.3 overs.