New Delhi: Ricky PontingThe former Australian captain has been appointed the head coach of the team. Punjab Kings in (PBKS) Indian Premier League After his departure from the IPL Delhi Capitals In a conversation with (DC), Ponting revealed that his availability had become an issue, which forced the franchise to look for a full-time head coach.
Ponting will take charge of PBKS ipl 2025after ending his seven-year association with DC two months ago. His appointment marks the third head coach appointment for PBKS within four seasons, as the team finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season and have not qualified for the playoffs since 2014.
According to an ANI report, one of Ponting’s primary tasks will be to identify players for retention ahead of the upcoming season, until the IPL’s retention rules are finalised.
Ponting started his IPL journey as a player Kolkata Knight Riders in the first season in 2008. He later joined mumbai indiansHe stepped down from captaincy in 2013 to give Rohit Sharma the opportunity to lead the team to its first title. He remained associated with MI as a consultant in 2014 and then as the head coach in 2015 and 2016.
In 2018, Ponting took over as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals and led the team to three consecutive playoffs from 2019 to 2021, including their first final in 2020.
Ponting’s tenure with DC ends in July 2024, after which he leads the Washington Freedom to a title-winning campaign Major League Cricket (MLC)
“I thought we created a really good family atmosphere there. Like I said, I understand what they wanted; they told me my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted a full-time head coach. I couldn’t commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to go in.”
“The people I went there with, everyone had a great time. You only have to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out, to know that a lot of people associated with the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t able to continue playing. But decisions had been taken.”
Ponting acknowledged the pressure of winning trophies as a coach, but welcomed it.
“That’s what makes coaching so attractive to me. I love to endure that pressure. It’s as close to getting back into the game as you can get. From the moment I stopped playing, when the competition in your life is gone, it’s really hard to switch back up. The closest thing I’ve ever felt to playing is going back into the cricket team’s changing room as a coach and feeling like you’re actually playing again. And coaching against people I could have played against and coaching people I’ve played against – I want to beat them. Simple. The cricket changing room is where I want to be.”
Reflecting on his IPL journey, Ponting called coaching Mumbai Indians a “great experience” and described DC’s changing room as a “special place” despite not winning a trophy.
“But we made some big mistakes in our mega-auction a couple of years ago (2022) and maybe even in retaining our players, and that pushed us back a lot. And this year (2024) as well, little things went against us, Rishabh (Pant, DC captain) got suspended for a game we had to win. We missed the playoffs because of run rate. Such little things add up. Results of T20 games are decided by very small margins. And then our season can also be defined by very small margins. And we at DC have been facing similar mistakes for the last couple of years.”
Ponting said coaching in the IPL has evolved and has now become more specialised, with teams appointing specialist coaches to cover every aspect.
“So you have many of the best coaches in the world together. And when you have the best coaches and the best players, you are bound to get high quality cricket. I think what the IPL has done by bringing in all these coaches is the reason why India is so good. India has always had talent, but putting that talent with the best coaches for two or three months every year has helped them become better players.”
Ponting also pointed out that several IPL franchises are moving towards having full-time coaching staff. He himself considered not taking such a role due to his other commitments and the need to spend time with family.
The key performers for Punjab last season included: harshal patelwho won the Purple Cap for the second time, and uncapped Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.
The team also includes talented players like left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. Notable foreign players in the team are England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow and South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
with shikhar dhawanAfter the recent retirement of the captain, identifying a new captain will also be a priority for Ponting and the team management.
Ponting will take charge of PBKS ipl 2025after ending his seven-year association with DC two months ago. His appointment marks the third head coach appointment for PBKS within four seasons, as the team finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season and have not qualified for the playoffs since 2014.
According to an ANI report, one of Ponting’s primary tasks will be to identify players for retention ahead of the upcoming season, until the IPL’s retention rules are finalised.
Ponting started his IPL journey as a player Kolkata Knight Riders in the first season in 2008. He later joined mumbai indiansHe stepped down from captaincy in 2013 to give Rohit Sharma the opportunity to lead the team to its first title. He remained associated with MI as a consultant in 2014 and then as the head coach in 2015 and 2016.
In 2018, Ponting took over as the head coach of the Delhi Capitals and led the team to three consecutive playoffs from 2019 to 2021, including their first final in 2020.
Ponting’s tenure with DC ends in July 2024, after which he leads the Washington Freedom to a title-winning campaign Major League Cricket (MLC)
“I thought we created a really good family atmosphere there. Like I said, I understand what they wanted; they told me my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted a full-time head coach. I couldn’t commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to go in.”
“The people I went there with, everyone had a great time. You only have to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out, to know that a lot of people associated with the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t able to continue playing. But decisions had been taken.”
Ponting acknowledged the pressure of winning trophies as a coach, but welcomed it.
“That’s what makes coaching so attractive to me. I love to endure that pressure. It’s as close to getting back into the game as you can get. From the moment I stopped playing, when the competition in your life is gone, it’s really hard to switch back up. The closest thing I’ve ever felt to playing is going back into the cricket team’s changing room as a coach and feeling like you’re actually playing again. And coaching against people I could have played against and coaching people I’ve played against – I want to beat them. Simple. The cricket changing room is where I want to be.”
Reflecting on his IPL journey, Ponting called coaching Mumbai Indians a “great experience” and described DC’s changing room as a “special place” despite not winning a trophy.
“But we made some big mistakes in our mega-auction a couple of years ago (2022) and maybe even in retaining our players, and that pushed us back a lot. And this year (2024) as well, little things went against us, Rishabh (Pant, DC captain) got suspended for a game we had to win. We missed the playoffs because of run rate. Such little things add up. Results of T20 games are decided by very small margins. And then our season can also be defined by very small margins. And we at DC have been facing similar mistakes for the last couple of years.”
Ponting said coaching in the IPL has evolved and has now become more specialised, with teams appointing specialist coaches to cover every aspect.
“So you have many of the best coaches in the world together. And when you have the best coaches and the best players, you are bound to get high quality cricket. I think what the IPL has done by bringing in all these coaches is the reason why India is so good. India has always had talent, but putting that talent with the best coaches for two or three months every year has helped them become better players.”
Ponting also pointed out that several IPL franchises are moving towards having full-time coaching staff. He himself considered not taking such a role due to his other commitments and the need to spend time with family.
The key performers for Punjab last season included: harshal patelwho won the Purple Cap for the second time, and uncapped Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.
The team also includes talented players like left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. Notable foreign players in the team are England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow and South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.
with shikhar dhawanAfter the recent retirement of the captain, identifying a new captain will also be a priority for Ponting and the team management.
