Arshdeep Singh’s Struggles Continue in IPL 2026
Arshdeep Singh‘s Struggles Continue in IPL 2026
Arshdeep Singh has had a mediocre IPL 2026, with his performances being a far cry from his usual standards. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) player was below his best when his team was doing well, and he was below his best when they were losing. On Saturday, when PBKS finally ended a losing streak that had stretched to six games, Arshdeep was poor, going at 17.33 and failing to bowl his last over.
Experts Weigh In
Ambati Rayudu pointed to Arshdeep’s lengths as the problem, stating that he should not be bowling a lot of short deliveries. “He’s not someone who should be bowling a lot of short deliveries,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. “Even in the death, he should be bowling yorkers. And even with the new ball, whenever he has bowled full, except for the first ball which was driven through the covers, I don’t think his fuller balls went for so many runs as much as the short of length deliveries or the short ball.”
Mark Boucher, on the other hand, suggested that fatigue might be the reason behind Arshdeep’s struggles. “I think it’s just being tired [after the T20 World Cup] and this month being the IPL, and he had to play in this. That’s the reason why he’s like that,” Boucher said. “I don’t think it’s got anything to do with his skill or his talent. At some stage, it [the fatigue] has to catch up with the players. It’s just, it’s natural.”
A Disappointing Season
Arshdeep’s numbers this season are a far cry from his usual standards. He has taken 14 wickets from 14 games with an economy rate of 10.20, and is one of only two bowlers to concede over 500 runs. Anshul Kamboj of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the other, but he has 21 wickets to show as well.
Despite his struggles, Arshdeep will likely be in the XI if PBKS get another game, which is dependent on how the results pan out on Sunday night. If or when he does play, he will have at least one more chance to make amends for a season gone very wrong.
