Punjab Kings is on a roll. Led by captain Shreyas Iyer and coached by Ricky Ponting, the team finished the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 league stage at the top. Now, they’re set to face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Qualifier 1.
This is Punjab’s first playoff appearance since 2014. Ponting, the team’s head coach, had asked for full control over team operations when he joined. The owners gave him a free hand, and now the results are showing.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI), Ponting said he knew things would be different this time around. “We started with the auctions, where we retained only two uncapped players,” he said. “People thought we made a mistake, but I was clear about where I wanted to take the team.”
Ponting praised the team’s performance, especially the Indian core players and captain Shreyas Iyer. “We got the players we wanted, including young players and experienced foreigners,” he said. “Even when Glen Maxwell and Lockie Ferguson got injured, we didn’t lose our momentum.”
He also highlighted the potential of Indian players like Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, saying they could play for India one day. “I think four players from our team can play for India,” Ponting said. “I watched Priyansh Arya’s videos for hours before the auctions, and I wanted him in our team no matter what. Prabhsimran is only 24 and has become the first uncapped player to score the most runs in IPL history. Nehal Wadhera can also play for India in the middle order, and Shashank Singh’s strike rate and ability to hit boundaries at the end of the innings make him a useful player.”