Punjab Kings (PBKS) secured their place in top two of the IPL 2025 Playoffs after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets on Monday (May 26). This comes after the franchise made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
After beating MI, PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting highlighted the qualities of Shreyas Iyer that make him such a consistent captain and why the franchise did not hesitate to break the bank for the Indian middle-order batter.
Shreyas, who was signed by PBKS for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore at the mega auction, has now become the only skipper in IPL history to help three teams finish in the top two. He achieved the same feat in 2020 with Delhi Capitals (DC) and then during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) triumphant campaign last season.
Ponting said he needed a “quality person” like Shreyas Iyer to change the culture at PBKS.
“I was pretty keen to work with him, Iyer, again. It was pretty obvious that how much money I was willing to spend on him at the auction. We had a great working relationship in Delhi, we made a final in Delhi under his captaincy,” Ponting told Star Sports.
“I’ve known him as a person and as a player for a long time. He’s a quality person, and when you’ve got quality people around your team when you’re trying to make a difference, and you’re trying to change culture, that’s what you need,” he added.
The coach emphasized Iyer’s ability to adapt to situations and the time he spends with his players.
“If you spoke to the players individually, I think every single one of them would give Shreyas a great rap because he has spent a lot of time with them. He’s pumped them up, he’s given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he’s given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader,” Ponting stated.
While a top-two finish gives them an extra chance to reach the final, Ponting is aware of the fact that PBKS have a long way to go before they clinch their maiden IPL title.
“I’m obviously very pleased for the group. It’s a lot of hard work that goes into being able to achieve something like this as a team. I think it’s pretty obvious to see that this is a really talented team that are all on the same page and heading in the same direction,” Ponting said.
“I mean, yeah, it’s a great achievement till now, but really, if you look back, we haven’t achieved anything yet. That’s the one thing I’ve been saying to the players since the moment we qualified,” he remarked.
