Punjab Kings have seen their IPL 2026 slip after a promising start to their campaign. They’ve lost six successive matches after starting with six wins in as many completed games.

They now run the risk of missing out on the playoffs. Not only must Punjab beat Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Saturday but they will also hope Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals and KKR lose to Delhi Capitals on Sunday. A defeat against Lucknow will end their hopes.

Punjab have won their last three meetings with the Super Giants but Rishabh Pant
believes they “are a f***ing good team”, even if they find themselves at the bottom of the table.

Speaking at the pre-match news conference on Friday, Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting summed up the mood in the dressing room as calm and relaxed.

“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,” Ponting said.

“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.”

Ponting stressed the players were ready for the challenge.

“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...”

It will be a battle of nerves and whoever keeps their cool in such tense situations will emerge winners.