Former India spinner R Ashwin applauded Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach for retaining faith in his Australian players as they shone in the team’s three-wicket win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mullanpur, on Monday, March 31. However, PBKS had three Australian players in their lineup: Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, and Xavier Bartlett.

“I thought before the start of the game that Azmatullah Omarzai should play. Dude, why is Bartlett playing? But the way Bartlett bowled and batted, Ricky Ponting once again proved right by filling all the overseas slots with Australians,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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“This is his first game in the IPL, it is not easy. The guy comes from Australia, has never played cricket in India. It was not a bouncy-type wicket, it was a skiddy wicket, and he adapted and played a very good innings. There was a lot of pressure near the end; even then, he held his nerve and finished the chase well. He is only 22 years old, he performed so well in the BBL, that he opened everyone’s eyes. He will also come to India to play the Test series,” Ashwin again said of Connolly.

However, the IPL 2026 had started with a few high-scoring affairs before a low-scoring match in Guwahati as well.

“I like these games more than the 200-220 games. There was something in the wicket, the bowlers got some help as well. In both innings, we saw the scoring rate decrease after the powerplay, the spinners also came into play. But in the end, PBKS, at the end, they have a lot of power, there is a lot of depth.” R Ashwin concluded.