IPL 2025: Ricky Ponting Aims To Build The Greatest 'Punjab Kings' Team – Live India – Live India TV

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March 22, 2025: Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) newly appointed head coach, Ricky Ponting, is full of confidence about the current squad and believes they will go down as the best team in the franchise’s history. The former Australian cricketer, who has led his nation to two ICC Cricket World Cup titles, shared his vision for the team, emphasizing the goal of winning the IPL and becoming the greatest PBKS side to date.
Ponting, speaking at Meta’s creator’s day, revealed his message to the team when he joined their camp in Dharamshala: “The overall vision for this team is to win the IPL. I told the guys on the very first day when I joined the camp that we were going to create and become the greatest Punjab Kings team that’s ever played. That’s the journey we’re on, and that doesn’t happen overnight. You’ve got to create that.”
Ponting’s belief in the team’s potential is rooted in the idea that winning is more about attitude than anything else. He added, “Winning is really an attitude thing. If we turn up to play, the opposition turns up to play, and if they want to beat us, it feels like they’re taking something away. I don’t want to let anyone take anything away from me or my team.”
Before his current role with PBKS, Ponting spent seven years with Delhi Capitals (DC), helping the team reach their first-ever IPL final in 2020, alongside captain Shreyas Iyer. This season, Ponting has been reunited with Iyer, who was roped in for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore during the mega auction. Ponting is eager to build on this partnership and help guide PBKS to new heights.
As a coach, Ponting has placed significant responsibility on the shoulders of the overseas players to set the right example for their Indian counterparts. “I put a lot of the bait on them to ensure that they’re setting the right example. A lot of the young domestic Indian players look up to the overseas boys, and if they’re not doing the right thing, it’s easy for the young Indian guys to not do the right thing either. So I empower the overseas guys to be the leaders and lead the way,” Ponting said.
PBKS has secured some key overseas recruits, including South Africa’s Marco Jansen, Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai, and New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson. Ponting also selected five Australian players for the squad: Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, and Xavier Bartlett. His plan is for these overseas players to not only perform on the field but to help mentor the younger Indian talent as well.
Ponting is aware that PBKS has not reached the final or the playoffs since 2014, when they were led by George Bailey. Since then, the team has experienced multiple changes in both leadership and coaching staff, with no playoff spot achieved. However, with a new strategy and a strengthened squad, Ponting is hopeful that this year could mark the turning point for PBKS.
Punjab Kings’ season opener against Gujarat Titans (GT), led by Shubman Gill, will take place on March 25, 2025, marking the beginning of an exciting new era for the franchise under Ponting’s guidance.
Last Updated on March 22, 2025 by Disha Rojhe

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