Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting could do little other than reflect on the second half of the team’s campaign as the franchise now stands on the cusp of elimination from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs race. The match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday was PBKS’s sixth consecutive loss, leaving them at the mercy of other teams to secure a top-four spot. As the match ended in Dharamshala, coach Ponting was spotted sitting alone on the Punjab Kings bench, wondering what had gone wrong with his team. Former India and PBKS all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin labeled the visual a “powerful picture”.
Ashwin, speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, said that it was ‘powerful’ to see Ponting sitting alone in the dugout, in front of the scenic Dharamshala mountains. While Ashwin admitted that he had sympathy for both Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyerhe blamed Punjab Kings for putting themselves in this situation.
“I saw a powerful picture on TV after the match today. Ricky Ponting was leaning forward in the dugout, all alone. He must have a lot going on inside his head. They were in the prime position to run away and take the top two spot in this tournament. I think they must be asking themselves where they went wrong. I sat on the same chair in 2018. I am not defending them, but I said in the last episode as well, the three or four champion teams don’t play at different home venues. You were winning in Mullanpur continuously, then you went to Dharamshala and you lost three consecutive home games,” he said on. Ash Ki Baat.
Ashwin reiterated his stance, questioning the franchise’s decision to have multiple home venues – Mullanpur and Dharamshala – for the IPL 2026 season, while also slamming the owners for putting their ‘business needs’ over the team’s ‘cricketing needs’ this campaign.
It really broke my heart to see Coach Saab like this… I am feeling very bad.
This man hardly ever looked this sad during his entire cricket journey, but today you can see how much Punjab means to him… Ricky Ponting looked truly hurt
But no…
— Shreyass Eraa (@IyerShreyass) May 17, 2026
“These are young players, and even foreign players are struggling. There’s a big difference between Mullanpur and Dharamshala when it comes to pace and bounce. The soil is the same but the altitude is different. This is also an away game for Punjab. If they had won even one of these home games, they would’ve been smiling right now,” he said.
“They defended 220 in Mullanpur against SRH because they know the wicket that well. They practiced at the venue even before the IPL started. Making pitches is one thing, but getting yourself accustomed to the conditions is different. It’s quite disappointing. I feel sad for Punjab. You shouldn’t leave your home ground. If it makes business sense, let it only make business sense, but if you want to win and qualify, you can’t afford. to make these mistakes. Ricky Ponting will be distracted, Shreyas Iyer will be too, but it is incredibly difficult,” Ashwin further said.
Punjab Kings face the Lucknow Super Giants in their final match of the season at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, a venue known for making life difficult for batters.
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