The pressure is mounting on the Punjab Kings as their IPL 2026 campaign continues to spiral after a dream start to the season. Once comfortably placed in the top two, the Shreyas Iyer-led side has now suffered five consecutive defeats, putting their playoff qualification hopes in serious danger. While criticism has largely focused on the players and team combinations, former PBKS captain Ravichandran Ashwin believes the franchise’s struggles are linked more to venue conditions than on-field performances.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that the Punjab Kings have been negatively affected by shifting their home games away from the new PCA Stadium in Mullanpur to the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. According to him, the contrasting pitch conditions have disrupted the team’s rhythm at a crucial stage of the tournament.

PBKS enjoyed significant success in Mullanpur earlier this season, losing just one of their four matches at the venue. The flat batting-friendly surface suited their aggressive lineup perfectly. However, the conditions in Dharamsala have presented an entirely different challenge, with slower pitches and inconsistent bounce making strokeplay far more difficult.

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“Look, we can say from the outside that Punjab aren’t doing well, but because I have personally been there, I know it is wrong. We won five matches in Mohali, then we changed venues and got knocked out of the tournament,” Ravihcandran Ashwin said.

The veteran spinner explained that adapting to drastically different playing conditions midway through a high-pressure season is never easy, especially for a batting-heavy side like Punjab Kings.

“They are not playing in Mullanpur; they are playing in Dharamsala, where the wicket is not that good to bat first on. The ball stays a little low in the first half, so it will take time for them to adapt,” he added.

Ashwin also stressed that the most successful IPL teams usually build squads around stable home conditions. Franchises like Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have historically benefited from having a consistent home base, something Punjab Kings have lacked over the years due to venue-sharing arrangements.

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“Their batting order is scoring 20-30 runs fewer because they have to adapt. People will say Punjab are struggling, but two of those losses came at a changed home venue,” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.