Arshdeep Singh says a no-frills chat with Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting helped reset his mindset after a sluggish start to the IPL 2026 season, with the left-arm seamer returning to form in a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.
The 27-year-old paceman took 3-22 against Mumbai, his best return of the campaign, and afterwards traced the turnaround back to a dressing-room conversation with the three-time World Cup-winning captain. Rather than dig into mechanics, Ponting zeroed in on expectation.
"It feels good and it goes back to having a chat with Ricky. I told him the ball didn't feel right when it left the hand. The chat was nothing technical, but he told me I was expecting too much from myself, coming off from a high of the World Cup win, and said you can't maintain that all the time," Arshdeep said.
The admission drew attention across India's cricket media. Arshdeep has been one of the more consistent new-ball bowlers for India since breaking through, and his form is often treated as a barometer for the national T20 set-up. A dip in rhythm early in the IPL, coming so soon after India's men's World Cup triumph, had prompted speculation about fatigue.
Ponting's appointment as Punjab's head coach has reshaped the franchise. The Tasmanian has overseen the rebuild around Shreyas Iyer as captain and placed emphasis on Indian core players. Fans have been quick to credit that direction for the club's improved outlook, with supporters on social media calling Iyer's arrival "the best thing that has happened to our franchise" and backing the Ponting-Iyer partnership as "a great combination."
Others singled out Ponting's work alongside Dinesh Karthik in rebuilding the side. "Ricky Ponting too deserves appreciation like Dinesh Karthik in rebuilding the entire Punjab Kings team and focusing on stronger Indian core and all-rounders," one fan posted.
Arshdeep's outing against Mumbai suggested the mental reset is translating to the middle. He bowled with better shape in the Powerplay, targeted the stumps, and took a wicket inside the first over of the innings. The follow-up spells at the back of the Mumbai innings were tidy rather than wicket-hungry, but he was rewarded with two more strikes as the top order collapsed.
Ponting's quiet man-management is nothing new. Throughout his career as a player and then as a coach across Delhi, Washington Freedom and now Punjab, he has been known for stripping the complexity out of skill issues and refocusing players on processes. That approach appears to be paying off again.
For Arshdeep, the challenge now is to sustain the level through the middle overs of the tournament, where Punjab's bowling attack will be tested by sides with deeper batting orders. The paceman's own admission — that he cannot maintain World Cup-winning form forever — may in fact be what enables him to keep delivering it more often than not.