Punjab Kings assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves has pushed back against the social media noise around the franchise after their sharp mid-season slide, saying the team remains focused on cricket and is not giving weight to unverified online chatter.
Punjab had started IPL 2026 with one of the strongest runs of the season, winning six of their first seven matches before suffering four consecutive defeats. The losing streak opened the door to heavy criticism and several social media claims about the squad’s discipline, fitness standards, and dressing-room environment. PBKS had already issued a statement against “fake stories and made-up narratives”, while co-owner Preity Zinta also warned against “calculated misinformation”.
Gonsalves was asked in the press conference how the team management was insulating players from the criticism and allegations around the side. He said he had expected the question, but made it clear that the squad was not obsessing over the outside noise.
“I’ll be very frank with you. I expected this question coming up. There’s no doubt about it. Yes, today social media plays a big role. The news plays a big role. How the big players handle themselves against all these things is absolutely important,” Gonsalves said.
“You don’t need anyone to teach them. First of all, they are big enough. They know how to control themselves. And yes, as far as we are concerned, we are more concerned about the cricketing part,” he added.
The PBKS coach’s comments came at a time when the franchise has had to deal with criticism beyond results. After the four-match losing streak, online chatter moved from fielding lapses and tactical calls to claims around player lifestyle and internal discipline. Prabhsimran Singh was also dragged into the discussion after a claim around his fitness circulated online, prompting a visible response from the batter on social media.
Gonsalves, however, said Punjab were not allowing every post or opinion to shape their dressing-room mood. He said the team’s attention was on the immediate cricketing challenge rather than the volume of commentary outside.
“You know, any blogger or any person can go and put up anything on the social media. And there are lakhs of people agreeing to it and saying yes or no. But frankly speaking, we are not too concerned about what the social media says,” Gonsalves said.
“Now, at present, we are only concerned and worried about tomorrow’s game, of how we are moving forward in the cricketing part,” he added.
Gonsalves backs Ricky Ponting’s handling of PBKS players
Gonsalves was also asked about Ricky Ponting’s role in managing players during a phase where social media pressure had become a major part of the campaign. The former Australia captain took over as PBKS head coach before the season and had overseen their excellent start before the recent downturn.
The assistant coach gave Ponting a strong endorsement, calling his man-management “marvellous” and “excellent”. He said Ponting understood the level of players he was working with and did not overreact to outside noise.
“Marvellous, excellent. Ricky is a thorough professional with all these parts. And he also knows who he is dealing with, the top elite cricketers. I’ve seen that professionalism there,” Gonsalves said.
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“And it’s really great to see how he handles it. He doesn’t beat upon it. But he knows exactly how to deal with them,” he added.
Punjab’s recent defeats have placed greater scrutiny on Ponting’s methods, especially after such a strong opening stretch. The franchise’s campaign has not collapsed, but its losing run has tightened the playoff race and placed its response under sharper scrutiny. The next match has now become a test of how quickly PBKS can separate performance correction from the noise around the squad.
Gonsalves said Ponting’s message to players around social media was measured. According to him, the PBKS head coach does not banish players from the digital space or make it a dressing-room obsession, but he does make them understand where the boundary lies.
“And he makes them understand that y’all are the part. Being too much into social media is not too good, it’s not too bad. But there’s a limitation. And a line has been drawn. That’s it,” Gonsalves said.
For Punjab, the public line is now firm. The franchise is prepared to absorb criticism over cricket, results, dropped catches, bowling plans and tactical calls. It is far less willing to let unverified claims around players and the dressing room run unchecked. Gonsalves’ press-conference response carried the same message: PBKS are aware of the storm outside, but the only repair work they want to discuss is on the field.