Lucknow, May 22 (IANS) Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting admitted his side has only itself to blame for its current predicament in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as they prepare for a must-win clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), to be played at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday.

After winning their first six completed games, PBKS slumped to six consecutive defeats and now need to beat LSG while relying on other results to stay in contention for clinching the last remaining spot in the playoffs.

“We were exceptional for our first seven or six games. Then we had that washout against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and I think from that moment on, we’ve just been a little bit off, and as I said, they’re small things. They’re 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.

“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,” said Ponting in the pre-match press conference.

He also warned that LSG, who are already eliminated from the competition, could be dangerous with nothing to lose. “I think teams in situations like this can be very dangerous. Lucknow is going into tomorrow. Apart from probably personal pride and pride for the franchise’s performance, they’ve really got nothing else to lose.

“But we understand that, and that’s the way that I want my boys to play as well. 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 the negative things that might happen,” he added.

Despite the losing streak, Ponting said the dressing room remains calm, with the side fully understanding the do-or-die situation. “There’s a really good, positive vibe around the group; it’s been really relaxed. We’ve got quite an experienced group of players, so they know how to go about getting themselves prepared for big games, and I guess there’s no hiding from the fact that it’s now or never for us as a team in this tournament.

“So I’m really excited about tomorrow. I’m excited about what this group is capable of, and I think we all saw in the first seven games of the season just how good this team can play. It’s really important we focus on the positive things and what you can do as an individual player to make an impact on the game there and then.

“These games in the IPL are decided by very, very fine margins. You’ve only got to be off by a couple of balls here and there, or one of your batsmen might take a bad option, or a freakish piece of fielding to change the momentum. So we’re aware of that, but we just need to know that we need to play our best game tomorrow.”

Ponting signed off by praising strike bowler Arshdeep Singh’s resurgence and captain Shreyas Iyer’s leadership. “In the last few games, we’ve probably seen Arshdeep getting back to his best. The IPL is becoming a much higher-scoring competition, and I’ve been extremely happy and proud of the way he has gone about his cricket.

“He leaves no stone unturned as far as his preparation is concerned. Alongside him, Shreyas’s leadership around the group has been exceptional. He’s a very mature leader now who understands how to get the best out of his players. Every time that he speaks, every one of our players looks up and listens.”

–IANS

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