India, May 23 -- Ricky Ponting blamed Punjab Kings' washout against Kolkata Knight Riders as the reason for their downward spiral. After a dominant start to the season, PBKS have almost bottled their chances of reaching the IPL 2026 playoffs. Led by Shreyas Iyer, They are now fifth in the standings with 13 points. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals are fourth with 14 points.

At one point, PBKS were on top of the table. Now they have lost six matches in a row and need to defeat Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday in their final league game. If PBKS beat LSG, they will finish with 15 points. Their qualification won't be confirmed yet, as RR and Kolkata Knight Riders can still knock them out. RR can qualify with 16 points. Meanwhile, KKR can also fin...