Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting was seen dejected after their defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday. While that was their sixth consecutive loss, they are now on the verge of getting eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs race as well. And former India all-rounder R Ashwin said the visual a “powerful picture.”
Ashwin, speaking in a video on his YouTube channel on Ash Ki Baat, said, “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.”
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He also shared 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 season as well.
“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 practised 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 distraught, Shreyas Iyer will be too, but it is incredibly hard,” R Ashwin concluded.
