Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set for their last league-stage outing in IPL 2026, taking on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in what is effectively a do-or-die battle at the Ekana Stadium on Saturday. Ahead of the contest, head coach Ricky Ponting’s comments have resonated across the franchise: after starting the tournament with six straight wins, PBKS have slipped dramatically, losing each of their last six matches and leaving their season hanging by a thread. With three sides already confirmed for the playoffs, Punjab know that only a victory will keep their postseason chances within reach.
Ponting links PBKS’ slump to the washed-out KKR game
- Ponting pointed to the earlier abandoned/washed-out encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders as a possible turning point in PBKS’ campaign.
- He noted that the Eden Gardens match ended with the teams sharing points due to rain, depriving Punjab of a chance to build on their early momentum.
- According to Ponting, the side looked “exceptional” during their opening run of roughly six or seven games, but after the weather-affected KKR clash, things “haven’t been quite right” in the subsequent weeks.
- He suggested that the difference in results could have come down to minor margins—“one or two balls” or “an over here and there”—that may have swung the outcome of several matches in Punjab’s favour.
- Ponting also stressed that the current situation is the consequence of not producing their best cricket consistently in the final stretch of the league stage.
- At the same time, he underlined that the team is aware of what their peak performance looks like and what adjustments are needed to win on the day.
“We were exceptional for our first seven or six games. Then we had that washout against Kolkata Knight Riders, and I think from that moment on we’ve just been a little bit off… It’s small things—one or two balls or they’re an over here and there that quite conceivably we could have won another three or four games, but we’ve only got ourselves to blame for that,” Ponting said.
“We’re in the situation that we’re in as a result of not playing at our best over the last few weeks, but we’ve also got a very good idea of what our best cricket looks like and what it is and what we have to do to win tomorrow, and that’s all we can focus on,” he added.
LSG’s mindset and the risk of “nothing to lose” cricket
For LSG, the match carries a different tone. The franchise is already out of playoff contention, which means the result will not change their qualification status—but Ponting believes that very fact can make them more dangerous. With personal pride and pride in the franchise’s overall showing still on the line, LSG could approach the contest without the pressure that affects sides chasing a spot in the top four.
“I mean they, Lucknow, going into tomorrow. Apart from probably personal pride and pride for the franchise’s performance, they’ve really got nothing else to lose, so teams can be dangerous in that way. But we understand that, we know that, and that’s the way that I want my boys to play as well,” Ponting said.
He further emphasised Punjab’s approach heading into the game, calling for an attacking mindset. “I want us to be fearless and I want us to be daring, I want us to take the game on and not be worried about what might happen, the negative things that might happen in the game,” Ponting added.
