Punjab Kings pushback before reset: Bloggers can say anything, we are not concerned

A mellow evening in Dharamsala, a shirtless Instagram story, and a rain break spent taking photographs of mountains. The week around Punjab Kings had been loud. Wednesday evening at the HPCA Stadium was anything but.

In the days leading up to their meeting with Mumbai Indians, conversations around Punjab Kings had drifted well beyond results and cricket. There had been speculation around player fitness, reports of unrest inside the dressing room, and chatter around social media activity involving members of the squad. The franchise had already responded publicly to some of it, with co-owner Preity Zinta urging people not to peddle “calculated misinformation”.

On Wednesday morning, before the buses had left for the HPCA Stadium, Prabhsimran Singh posted a photo on Instagram. Shirtless, standing by a quiet riverside in Dharamsala with mountains in the background, he posted an emoji of one hand raised to his lips, hinting that it was time to shut out the noise. No caption. No explanation.