Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting had little to do but stare into the bigger picture after another painful setback in the IPL 2026 race. Following their Sunday game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamshala, PBKS slipped to a sixth straight defeat, putting them on the verge of elimination from the hunt for a top-four finish. Ponting was later seen seated by himself on the Punjab bench as the match concluded, a moment that quickly became a talking point.<\/p>\n
Former India and Punjab Kings all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin described the image as striking, calling it a \u201cpowerful picture\u201d. In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said it was emotional to watch Ponting leaning forward alone in the dugout with the Dharamshala mountains as backdrop.<\/p>\n
While Ashwin expressed sympathy for both Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer, he argued that Punjab Kings had contributed to their own predicament. He suggested that the franchise had been positioned to push into the tournament\u2019s leading spots, but instead found themselves asking how things went wrong.<\/p>\n
Ashwin drew on experience from 2018, when he said he was seated \u201cin the same chair,\u201d and used the comparison to underline his view that the franchise\u2019s choices have mattered. He stated that champion sides typically do not perform differently merely because they are playing across varied home grounds.<\/p>\n
He pointed to Punjab\u2019s run of success at Mullanpur, contrasting it with what he described as a downturn after the move to Dharamshala. In his assessment, the team lost three consecutive home matches in Dharamshala, a sequence that he believes swung momentum at a crucial stage of the season.<\/p>\n
Ashwin also questioned the decision to stage IPL 2026 home matches across more than one venue\u2014specifically Mullanpur and Dharamshala. He further took aim at the owners, saying business considerations appeared to be placed above the franchise\u2019s cricketing requirements during the current campaign.<\/p>\n
He argued that conditions can shift dramatically even when the \u201csoil is the same,\u201d adding that pace and bounce differ between the two locations. In his view, those variations are especially significant for a side trying to consolidate points rather than chase them.<\/p>\n
Ashwin said that Dharamshala effectively functioned like an away ground for Punjab Kings, and that the team\u2019s ability to win hinged on whether they managed even one result from the home matches in that stretch. He suggested that if PBKS had secured a single win from those games, they would have been in a very different mood at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
He also referenced Punjab\u2019s earlier performance in Mullanpur, noting that they defended 220 against Sunrisers Hyderabad there. Ashwin stressed that Punjab\u2019s familiarity with the venue played a role, insisting that practising at a ground before the tournament begins helps, but that it is still different to fully adjust to match-day conditions.<\/p>\n
Continuing his critique, Ashwin said it is disappointing to see a team depart from its home base. He acknowledged that if a move is driven by commercial logic, it may be understandable from a business standpoint\u2014but he insisted that chasing wins and qualification cannot be done while making avoidable errors.<\/p>\n
In his closing remarks on the subject, Ashwin said Ponting and Shreyas Iyer would both feel the weight of the situation deeply, but he added that the task is \u201cincredibly hard\u201d once a campaign turns sour.<\/p>\n
Punjab Kings will now turn their attention to their last league fixture of the season, taking on Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Ashwin\u2019s comments underscored the broader challenge ahead, as Ekana is widely regarded as a venue that can make life difficult for batters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting had little to do but stare into the bigger picture after another painful setback in the IPL 2026 race.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Ponting Alone as PBKS Lose Again, Ashwin","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 update: PBKS slump again as RCB win in Dharamshala\u2014Ricky Ponting watches alone and Ashwin is left heartbroken after sixth straight defeat.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n