"Ricky Ponting just made them play”- Sarandeep Singh says domestic coaches also deserve credit for PBKS' IPL 2025 success

Sarandeep Singh named dropped Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh.

Former India cricketer and selector Sarandeep Singh talked about Punjab Kings’ wonderful run in the IPL 2025 season and stated that while Ricky Ponting was the head coach, the domestic coaches who worked on the players deserve equal credit with him.

He name-dropped talents like Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who shined at the top for Punjab Kings, while captain Shreyas Iyer led from the front as PBKS reached the final of the IPL 2025, only to lose to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Sarandeep believes Ponting simply selected cricket players for the team and accomplished nothing noteworthy. According to Sarandeep, Indian youths who performed well for Punjab in the 2025 Indian Premier League achieved so as a result of diligent training from their native trainers.

“Ricky Ponting became the coach of PBKS. Everyone said that he is a very good coach. What would he have explained? You have performed and gone there. He just made you play there.

If Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran have scored runs, their coaches have worked hard, and by listening to them, they have made these runs. But people say Ricky Ponting told them something different,” Sarandeep said while speaking on Taruwar Kohli’s YouTube channel. 

“You can help a bit skill-wise, but during the season, these things can’t happen. If you are selected in IPL or India, you are selected to perform. There is no scene of improvement. It is only about man management," Sarandeep added. 

Prabhsimran Singh made 549 runs with four fifties at a strike rate of 160.52, while Priyansh Arya made 475 runs with a strike rate of 179.24 with one century and two fifties. His highest score of 103 came against the Chennai Super Kings.

The current generation of batters, according to Sarandeep, doesn't understand the intricacies of power hitting. He also mentioned how young people would approach him to assist them in playing unconventional strokes like AB de Villiers, Suryakumar Yadav, or Glenn Maxwell.

“To be very honest, players don’t know how to hit at this time. The hitting these days is power hitting. A lot of kids come to us and are like Maxwell played such a shot. Suryakumar Yadav plays the paddle sweep, AB De Villiers started these shots, and you like watching it.

You want to hit such shots, but you have to see your strength. Virat and Rohit Sharma didn’t play these shots. Follow your strength. You cannot become like someone, follow their work ethic," Sarandeep added. 

Sarandeep Singh played three Tests, taking 10 wickets, and five ODIs, taking three for India from 2000 to 2003. He was also a national selector from 2016 to 2020.