IPL 2026: PBKS Playing XI Decided By Owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia? Irfan Pathan Makes Shocking Revelation

IPL 2026: The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been quite the “enigma” in the Indian Premier League all these years. They have a lineup of top notch players and plenty of resources, yet the team has had difficulty in consistently winning matches. Recently, ex-India all-rounder and PBKS stalwart, Irfan Pathan, revealed how the internal turmoil weakened the team in the early days. He hinted that the team owners greatly hindered the teams development.

PBKS has been jointly owned by Mohit Burman (46%), Preity Zinta (23%), Ness Wadia (23%), and Karan Paul (8%) since the launch of the league in 2008. While rumors of “owner interference” have floated around the IPL circuit for years, Pathan’s public admission on Star Sports provides a rare, firsthand account of the friction behind the scenes.

A Lack of Coordination

Pathan, who was a mainstay in the Punjab lineup during the early seasons, highlighted how a lack of cricketing synergy among the leadership led to a downward spiral.

“There was a clear lack of coordination,” Pathan revealed. “The second year (2009), the IPL moved to South Africa, where we didn’t perform well. The first year (2008), we played the semifinal, so the leadership should have continued, but by the third year, the leadership had changed.”

The former left-arm seamer pointed out a fundamental disconnect between those who understood the game and those who held the purse strings.

“In that, there was a big issue between the coaches, what the coaches who don’t come from a cricket background were saying, and what the owners, who don’t have a cricket background, were thinking. This has been the case with Punjab,” he added.

Owners Picking the Playing XI?

Perhaps the most damaging revelation was the suggestion that owners were actively involved in tactical decisions, such as selecting the playing combinations—a role traditionally reserved for the captain and coach.

“Internally, what was visible from the start was a lack of coordination, which greatly impacted decision-making. For example, if one owner says, ‘We need to field this specific team because we want results,’ and another owner says, ‘We want to play a specific combination,’ and if things don’t work out on the field, it creates a huge difference. I think initially, that was the issue,” Pathan said.

A Turn Toward Stability

While the past was murky, Pathan noted that the modern-day Punjab Kings, led by Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer, appear to have found the stability that was missing for nearly two decades. After reaching the final in 2025, the franchise seems to have finally empowered its cricketing staff.

“If you have changed twelve captains over so many years, it means the stability that should be there in leadership hasn’t been visible. And when there isn’t stability in leadership, players won’t feel secure. Until a few years ago, this was definitely an issue with Punjab,” Pathan concluded. As PBKS navigates the IPL 2026 season, fans will be hoping the lessons of the past have finally been learned.

Read More: Rwanda’s Fanny Utagushimaninde Scripts Huge Women’s T20I History At 15 Years, Breaks 7-Year-Old Feat To Create New World Record