Ravichandran Ashwin Punjab Kings’ decision to split their home matches over two venues in IPL 2026 has raised serious questions, suggesting that the constant change in conditions may have contributed to the franchise’s dramatic collapse during the second half of the season. Punjab started their campaign strongly and went unbeaten in seven consecutive matches before their momentum completely disappeared. The team has now suffered five consecutive defeats, two of which have come at their secondary home venue Dharamsala. Ashwin He believes the withdrawal from Molanpur disrupted the team’s rhythm at a crucial stage of the tournament. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that the most successful IPL franchises have always relied on consistency by sticking to one primary home venue throughout the season. “Let me ask you a question. KKR, CSK, and MI, the three teams who have won the most trophies—3, 5, and 5—in 19 seasons have won a total of 13 trophies. SRH has won two (Deccan Chargers and SRH). Take that as 15. Have these teams changed their home venues?” Ashwin said in the video. The veteran spinner, who has previously represented Punjab in the IPL, said outside criticism often overlooks the impact that changing venues can have on a team’s performance and preparation. “Look, we can say from outside that Punjab is not doing well, but since I have been there personally, I know that it is wrong. We won five matches in Mohali, then we changed venues and got knocked out of the tournament,” he added. Punjab Kings now find themselves under huge pressure heading into the business end of the league stage. The team will have to win the remaining two matches to stay alive in the play-off race, but one of those matches is again in Dharamsala. Ashwin believes that the batting group has struggled to adjust quickly to the different nature of the surface at the hilly venue, especially when batting first. “So, I am saying that, sure, Punjab have suffered back-to-back defeats, but they are not playing in Molanpur; they are playing in Dharamshala, where the wicket is not good enough to bat first. The ball is a bit less in the first half, so it will take time for them to adapt.” “Their batting order is going 30-40 runs lower, or 20 runs lower, because they have to adapt. We can all say that Punjab are struggling and have suffered five consecutive defeats, or that ‘this is what happens in Punjab’. No, they have played two of those games at a changed home venue,” he said. Ashwin also questioned the logic of Punjab being one of the few franchises forced to alternate between venues during a season. Chennai Super KingsMumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad enjoy the consistency of playing all their home matches at the same ground.
