Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting shared his thoughts after their seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Monday night. While the team is definitely celebrating this victory and their place in the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2014, Ponting reminded them that their job isn’t done yet. PBKS had a strong chase, powered by solid performances from Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis, which helped them secure a spot in the top two.
Ponting reflected on how much the team has changed this season under his guidance, starting from the auction. He praised the aggressive young batting lineup and stressed that it’s crucial to turn a good league season into success in the playoffs. “I’m really pleased; it takes a lot of work to get here. Coming to a new franchise and making an impact right away is a big deal for me. You can see it’s a great team heading in the same direction. But we haven’t achieved anything yet, that’s what I keep telling the players. The big games are still coming. Prabhsimran is around 23-24 and has over 500 runs; I think Priyansh is one of the best finds of the tournament, he said.
Ponting added that the fearless young talent on the team has been impressive, alongside solid contributions from overseas players like Inglis and Stoinis. He’s also been happy with Shreyas’s performance, noting that they’ve developed a good working relationship over time. With this win, Punjab has practically secured the top spot, thanks to their strong run rate compared to RCB, who could tie in points if they win their next game.
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There’s some concern about Marco Jansen being unavailable for the playoffs, but Ponting is confident they can fill that gap. “Arshdeep has been great, and Chahal should be back soon. If you talk to the players, they’ll all give good feedback about Shreyas. We’ll celebrate tonight; we usually do that after every match, except the last one because of the quick turnaround. We have a late flight tomorrow, so we’ll figure out our training schedule and make sure to rest players. Jansen is a high-quality player, and it’s tough to lose him, but we brought in Jamieson to get some game time before Marco left. Every team deals with injuries; we think we have enough depth to manage without Marco, even if it’s a big loss, he added.
