Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has urged his team to be physically and mentally ready for IPL 2026.
Punjab Kings came close to winning their first IPL title last year but lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad. This extended PBKS’ 18-year IPL title drought.
Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting addresses his players
“This is training, this is preparation. It’s about getting physically, technically and mentally ready for the first game on the 31st.
“I want you to think and think about what you brought to this team last year and that made us a good team,” Ponting said during practice, according to a PBKS press release.
The former Australian captain added that it was okay to make mistakes but said it was important to stick to the game plan.
“We all make mistakes. That’s okay. I’m going to make mistakes along the way. You’re all going to make mistakes, you’re going to drop a catch, you’re going to play bad shots, you’re going to fall over.
“But if you stick to what you know and what your game plan is, if you make a mistake, it’s not a mistake in my eyes. It’s just what happens in the game, it’s part of the game,” Ponting explained.
In IPL 2025, PBKS finished the league stage at the top of the standings with 19 points. They lost to RCB in Qualifier 1 before beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets. In the final over, PBKS was set a target of 191 but RCB restricted them to 184/7 from 20 overs.
PBKS will begin their IPL 2026 campaign with a home match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Mullanpur on March 31.
They will then take on Chennai Super Kings (April 3, Chennai), Kolkata Knight Riders (April 6, Kolkata) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (April 11, Mullanpur).
Due to the upcoming assembly elections in several states including Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the IPL Governing Council has announced the schedule for the first 20 matches of IPL 2026 only. The schedule for the rest of IPL 2026 is likely to be announced in the coming days.
