Irfan Pathan spills on chaos that derailed Punjab Kings’ early IPL years: 'Initially, the owners seemed good'

Irfan Pathan looked back at the team’s struggles, stressing how constant leadership changes and a disconnect between coaches and owners hurt their progress.

Punjab Kings have long carried the weight of unrealised potential in the IPL, entering almost every season with a fresh mix of hope and pressure. Despite assembling strong squads over the years and showing flashes of brilliance, consistency has often deserted them at crucial moments. Alongside Delhi Capitals, they remain among the few franchises yet to win the title, a statistic that only intensifies expectations from fans and management alike. Their past campaigns have seen them come close, including appearances in the final, but they have repeatedly stumbled when it mattered most, unable to finish the job.

Irfan Pathan lifts lid on early chaos at Punjab Kings. (X Image)

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was part of the franchise in its early years when it was known as Kings XI Punjab, looked back at the team’s struggles, stressing how constant leadership changes and a disconnect between coaches and owners hurt their progress. He noted that despite a promising run in 2008, confusion behind the scenes and questionable calls stalled their momentum in the years that followed.

“There was a clear lack of coordination," Pathan said on Star Sports. “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. 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," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan further explained that while the owners were approachable on a personal level, the real problem lay in mixed signals at the top, with differing views on team selection and strategy leading to confusion that ultimately affected performances on the field.

“I feel that initially, the owners seemed like good owners. If you talk about one-on-one interactions, they were very good there. But 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.

“Seems things have changed a lot at Punjab Kings”

Punjab showed clear signs of progress last season, putting together a strong campaign to reach the IPL 2025 final, where they eventually fell short against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The Shreyas Iyer–Ricky Ponting partnership brought structure and direction, and there is hope that the same combination can deliver again in the upcoming season.

Pathan, however, highlighted how the franchise had long struggled with instability in leadership, with frequent captaincy changes creating uncertainty within the squad and affecting performances. He also noted that the current setup looks more settled, suggesting the team is finally moving towards a more stable environment.

“Looking at the current situation, it seems things have changed a lot; they have tried to provide much more stability. But 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. And if players aren’t secure, they won’t be able to perform in such a difficult league where the competition is always high. Until a few years ago, this was definitely an issue with Punjab," he added.