'No Excuses' - Ricky Ponting Backs Punjab Kings to Win IPL in 2026 Season Despite Falling Short in 2025

The battle of two sides who had never won the Indian Premier League in Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punkab Kings ended with the RCB side ending their 18-year drought after winning the IPL 2025 final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday (June 3). 

It led to contrasting emotions for both teams, as for RCB it was a sweet culmination of their dreams after years of failure while for PBKS it ensures the wait to be crowned IPL champions must go on. 

Many said after the match that the sticky nature of the wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium may have played a part in PBKS coming unglued. 

However, that was not an opinion that was shared by their head coach Ricky Ponting. 

ALSO READ | RCB's Director Of Cricket Mo Bobat Goes Unfiltered After IPL 2025 Win

‘Not The Pitch’s Fault'

Ponting said that PBKS batter Shashank Singh said this was one of the best wickets he batted on all season, meaning blaming the strip was unfair. 

"There are no excuses — not from me, not from the team. In fact, Shashank said after the match that it was the best wicket he’d batted on all season. So, it wasn't the pitch. We just lost momentum at a critical time," Ponting said after the match.

Ponting added that their loss of momentum in the middle overs was the main reason they ended up falling short in the run chase. 

ALSO READ | Celebratory Return For RCB As They Come Back Home After IPL 2025 Triumph

PBKS to Claim Title Next Season? 

For PBKS, this was their first shot at winning the title since 2014 and they ended up falling short once again, giving them an 0-2 record in IPL finals. 

However, Ponting defended their showing by stating the IPL is by no means an easy tournament to win - while remaining hopeful of their chances next season. 

"Winning the IPL is not easy. Teams like Chennai and Mumbai have won multiple times, but it’s a tough tournament to win. I hope in 12 months the Punjab Kings can be the ones celebrating an IPL title."

Under Shreyas Iyer, PBKS became a force to be reckoned with for the first time in multiple seasons and they will hope to make their coach's words come true.