Ricky Ponting and Arshdeep Singh [Source: AFP, X]On Saturday night, the Punjab Kings take on the Lucknow Super Giants in arguably their biggest match of the season as they fight for their survival in IPL 2026. Having dominated the first half of the league phase, they find themselves on the brink of elimination, with their destiny out of their hands.With their six consecutive losses, PBKS’ social media team, alongside star bowler Arshdeep Singh, have received a lot of flak from fans. The critics argued the team was distracted by their off-field shenanigans. Responding to speculation, head coach Ricky Ponting has now openly explained the situation and how the management has dealt with it. Has social media derailed PBKS’ IPL 2026? Ricky Ponting responds The criticism from a section of fans and media comes after PBKS’ official handles engaged in banter with rival fanbases during their winning run. According to many, PBKS took it too far and made some posts which could have been avoided. Furthermore, Arshdeep Singh’s YouTube vlogs and Snapchat stories also caught attention after he was accused of colourism for making a controversial comment about Tilak Varma. This came in the midst of a considerably under-par season by Arshdeep Singh’s standards, as he conceded over 10 runs per over for an extended period.Also Read: IPL 2026: LSG vs PBKS Prediction, Match 68- Who Will Win Today?Speaking on the matter, Ricky Ponting steered clear of controversies, refuting claims that social media played a role in the team’s downfall despite a good start to the season.“I don’t think anything externally has interrupted us as a team. I’m not a big social media guy anyway, so I don’t do a lot of the stuff that’s been happening. I’m probably oblivious to [social media].”High spirits in PBKS camp ahead of must-win clash vs LSG Putting the string of losses behind them, the Punjab Kings will return to the field after a short break to face LSG. This will be their last league match of the season, which will also be a must-win game to stay alive for another day. As they travel to Lucknow for this match, Ponting vouched for positivity around the team and believes they have put enough work into the team to face the upcoming challenge. “The atmosphere remains very positive and very relaxed. I think the worst thing you can do in a situation like this is panic and worry about what tomorrow brings. You’ve just got to stick to what you know has worked for you in the past as a player and certainly as a coach and a group of coaches, that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he further explained. “We’ve done our best to make sure that the environment’s stayed very positive and very relaxed and let the players just go about getting themselves prepared and ready for a game,” he concluded. How can PBKS qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs? Currently at number 5 on the table with 13 points to their name. The Ricky Ponting-coached side will need to defeat PBKS, preferably with a big margin and wait for the results on Sunday. For PBKS to go through, the Rajasthan Royals must lose to the Mumbai Indians, followed by a preferred Delhi Capitals win over the Kolkata Knight Riders. If RR and DC both lose their respective matches, the net run-rate will decide whether PBKS or KKR goes through. Also Read: MS Dhoni Backed To Play IPL 2027 Before Retirement
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