Ravichandran Ashwin has raised serious questions about Punjab Kings’ decision to split their home matches over two venues in IPL 2026, suggesting that constant changes in conditions played a major role in the franchise’s dramatic collapse during the second half of the season.Punjab started their campaign strongly and were unbeaten in seven consecutive matches before their momentum completely disappeared. The team has now suffered five straight defeats, with two of them coming at Dharamsala, their secondary home venue. Ashwin believes Mullanpur’s exit disrupted the team’s rhythm at a crucial stage of the tournament.Ashwin pointed out on his YouTube channel that the most successful IPL franchises have always relied on stability by sticking to one primary home venue throughout the season.“Let me ask a question. KKR, CSK and MI, the three teams who have won the highest number of trophies – 3, 5 and 5 – in 19 seasons, have won a total of 13 trophies. SRH have won two (Deccan Chargers and SRH). Take it as 15. Have these teams ever changed their home venue?” Ashwin said in the video.The veteran spinner, who previously represented Punjab in the IPL, said external criticism often ignores the impact a change of venue can have on a side’s performances and preparation.“Look, from outside we can say that Punjab is not doing well, but having been there personally, I know it is wrong. We won five matches in Mohali, then we changed venues and got knocked out of the tournament,” he added.Punjab Kings now find themselves under immense pressure heading into the business end of the league stage. The team needs to win both their remaining matches to stay alive in the playoffs, but one of those matches will again take place in Dharamsala.Ashwin believes the batting line-up struggled to adapt quickly to the different nature of the surface on the mound, especially when batting first.“So I say, sure, Punjab have suffered a number of defeats, but they’re not playing in Mullanpur; they’re playing in Dharamsala, where the wicket is not as good for batting first. The ball stays a bit low in the first half, so it will take time to adjust.”“Their batting order is 30-40 runs less or 20 less because they have to adjust. We can all say that Punjab are struggling and have suffered five defeats in a row or that ‘it happens in Punjab’. No, they played two of those matches at a changed home venue,” he said.Ashwin also questioned the logic behind Punjab being one of the few franchises forced to rotate venues during the season, while established teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad continue to enjoy the consistency of playing all their home matches at one ground.
Which franchise has the best performance record with a consistent home location?
