The legendary Australian cricket player Ricky Ponting was chosen as the head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) on September 18, 2024. While it’s his first season with PBKS, he has already made a positive impact on the team, especially since they have had a great start during this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

So far, PBKS is in the fifth spot on the IPL 2025 points table after having won 5 out of their 8 matches. The most recent matches have been against the same opponents, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

After successfully defending 111 runs against KKR at home, PBKS had travelled to Bengaluru to face RCB. There, they kept RCB to 95/9 and won the game by 5 wickets. However, when RCB travelled to Mullanpur in the return clash, PBKS was thumped by 7 wickets by RCB. PBKS had scored 157/6 at home, and RCB chased down the total with 7 wickets in hand.

Ponting’s Coaching Ways

Ricky Ponting has built a reputation throughout his illustrious playing and coaching career for his aggressive mindset and unwavering belief in his players. He’s known to coach players within a positive and supportive environment, kind of like how motivational Ted Lasso is to his football players.

Ponting is in a better spot, though, since he brings with him a high level of tactical cricket expertise from his decades of playing the sport.

Ponting is also reported to spend individual time with players so he could better understand their strengths and weaknesses and give them advice that suits them best.

"The art of coaching in the modern game is identifying what each player needs. You can't train everyone the same; you can't expect Kieron Pollard to go to the nets and do one thing, then AB de Villiers to go to the nets and do the same thing,” said Ponting on his ways of coaching while chatting with Cricket Network.

“You have to work out what they want, what they need, and try and facilitate that the best you can as a coach… As a coach, if you can just help them out with a few technical things or even a way to get them slightly better prepared, then you just let them go out and play," he added.

Punjab Kings’ Batters on Ponting

Punjab Kings' batters have expressed admiration for Ricky Ponting's coaching style. In a recent interview, Nehal Wadhera said that he’s one of the best coaches he’d worked with.

He said, “I’ve never heard any negative talk from him, and that’s the best thing about him. He talks positively, and when a coach gives you such positive remarks automatically boosts your confidence.”

Prabhsimran Singh echoed similar sentiments, and he praised the Australian coach for how he’s been instilling a winning mentality.

He explained, “They’re legends. Whenever they speak, it’s always positive. There’s no such thing as ‘if’ (in their thinking). They ask us to go with just one mindset, and that is of winning. They have asked us to back our game.”

Singh is one of today's emerging young talents. Under a coach like Ponting, who values aggressive intent, Singh has most likely been given the license to play his natural attacking game. Both Singh and Wadhera are young players who are more likely to thrive and be extremely motivated and empowered by Ponting’s coaching style.

What Are the Chances of PBKS Winning This IPL Season Under Ponting?

Today’s IPL match prediction for their recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders was at a 68% win probability, and this says a lot about how people are placing PBKS as one of the teams to watch out for this season.

We can’t deny that their batting lineup with the likes of Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Priyansh Arya, and Harnoor Pannu is strong this year. They are led by Shreyas Iyer with a striking rate of 185.21 so far this IPL season. However, we’ve yet to see Maxwell find consistency this season.

Aside from batting, their bowling unit has also been a bit of a mixed bag. Arshdeep Singh has been reliable with seven wickets, but Marco Jansen and Yuzvendra Chahal need to step up. Their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite scoring 245 runs, highlighted vulnerabilities in their bowling attack, and they’ll need to work harder on that.

Wrap-up: What’s Ahead

Even if Punjab Kings have shown promise under Ricky Ponting's leadership in the IPL 2025 season, winning the title will still be challenging. After all, they still have six more matches to play before the semi-finals:

• April 26: Against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
• April 30: Against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
• May 4: Against Lucknow Super Giants at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala.
• May 8: Against Delhi Capitals at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
• May 11: Against Mumbai Indians at the HPCA Cricket Stadium, Dharamshala
• May 16:  Against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur