The Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) are going through a nightmare phase in the ongoing IPL 2026, and the tension inside the camp is now becoming impossible to hide. After another painful defeat, PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta was seen having a serious and lengthy conversation with head coach Ricky Ponting. And the moment went viral across the social media platforms.
This viral incident happened right after the Punjab Kings suffered their fifth straight loss of the ongoing IPL 2026 season. They were once leading the points table with six straight wins, but now their chances of reaching the playoffs are slowly slipping away.
Preity Zinta and Ricky Ponting left shocked as the Punjab Kings crushed by MI in a big IPL 2026 blow
Punjab Kings suffered a crushing six-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians in their crucial IPL 2026 clash at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on May 14. MI chased down the massive target of 201 runs in the final over with one ball and six wickets remaining.
Read Also: ‘I was enjoying my Test cricket’: Rohit Sharma trolls himself after MI’s win vs PBKS
Tilak Varma was the biggest difference between PBKS and MI. The left-handed batter handled the pressure perfectly during the chase and played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 75 runs to finish the game in style for the five-time IPL champions in Dharamshala.
Preity Zinta and Ricky Ponting’s long and tense discussion goes viral after PBKS collapse
After the match, cameras showed Preity Zinta looking tense and disappointed. Soon after, TV cameras showed the PBKS co-owner talking to Ricky Ponting for a long time as the head coach looked very upset and even lowered his head while looking down at his shoes.
During their lengthy conversation near the ground, both Preity and Ponting looked deeply concerned as the Punjab Kings’ season continued to go in the wrong direction. Punting himself looked unhappy during Mumbai’s chase.
The Australian legend was seen standing near the boundary outside the dugout for a long period while PBKS struggled badly in the death overs and failed to defend 200 runs.
🚨Preity Zinta in Complete Disappointment in Discussion with Ricky Pointing 🚨#PBKSvsMI pic.twitter.com/4CWzrN8P3x
— LeoMen 🍋 (@lomennTea) May 14, 2026
Preity Zinta talking to Ricky Ponting💔#PBKSvsMI pic.twitter.com/nuSHKw3lEG
— Sumit Singh (@SumitSingh7781) May 14, 2026
INTENSE CHAT BETWEEN PREITY ZINTA AND RICKY PONTING AFTER PBKS’ DEFEAT. 👀💔
— Faruk (@uf2151593) May 14, 2026
A long conversation was spotted between Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta and coach Ricky Ponting following another disappointing loss for PBKS. 🏏🔥 pic.twitter.com/UkpUGyFuGQ
Punjab Kings’ playoff dreams in danger after fifth straight defeat in IPL 2026
This latest defeat has now made the IPL 2026 playoff race extremely difficult for the Punjab Kings. The team currently has 13 points from 12 matches and cannot afford any mistakes in the remaining two matches in the tournament.
The PBKS are currently under huge pressure because the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are still very much in the race with 12 points from 11 games. If CSK win all their remaining matches, Punjab Kings could find themselves knocked out of the top four despite looking strong at the start of the season. Now, they must win their remaining two games to qualify for the playoffs.
Shreyas Iyer stays positive as PBKS faces a do-or-die situation
Punjab Kings’ remaining two matches are against the table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 17 in Dharamshala and bottom-ranked Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 23 in Lucknow, and they must win those games by a big margin to stay alive in the IPL 2026.
However, the PBKS captain, Shreyas Iyer, is excited for the big challenge ahead of them. Iyer said at the post-match presentation, "Definitely excited for the next opportunity. It's an afternoon game, and we've got to win two out of two. It's going to be an exciting two games. Can't wait to play them.”
