Tiwary shared his thoughts after the rain out match between PBKS and KKR in Kolkata.
Former India and Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary has stated that he doesn’t feel the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will win this IPL 2025 season. He said that their over-reliance on foreign players over Indian stars might cost them the title even if they make it into the playoffs.
He criticized head coach Ricky Ponting's choice to prioritize international players over in-form Indian hitters during Saturday's rain-affected encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
Punjab Kings are presently fourth in the IPL 2025 rankings after nine matches, with five wins, three defeats, and one no-result from Saturday's game versus KKR.
Tiwary's criticism is directed at Ponting's batting order choices following Prabhsimran Singh's dismissal for 83 off 49 balls in the 15th over. Instead of putting in Nehal Wadhera, who has been effective at number four for both Punjab and the Mumbai Indians, Ponting went with Glenn Maxwell, who continued his bad form with seven runs from eight balls.
The decision to send Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis ahead of proven finisher Shashank Singh in the final 20 balls, when Punjab was aiming for a 200-plus total, irritated Tiwary even more.
"My gut feeling says that Punjab team will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season because what I saw today when they were batting was, the coach didn't send Indian inform batters Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, instead he trusted his foreign players to deliver, but they couldn't and clearly showed lack of confidence in Indian players down the order. If he persists in this way, then the title is far from them irrespective of their qualification in the top two," Tiwary shared on social media.
PBKS has surprised everyone with this performance in this IPL 2025, several unexpected teams have emerged as title contenders at the halfway mark.
Punjab Kings have remained in the top four of the points table after sharing a point with defending champions KKR in a rain-affected match.
Looking ahead, the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings will face Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 30, followed by a home encounter against Lucknow Super Giants in Dharamsala on May 4.