New Delhi: Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has high hopes for the side now that he has begun his tenure with them and immediately has a target on ending their title drought. He has already set the goal of taking the Punjab Kings team to their best ever version. He joins hands with last year’s IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer, who has now become the skipper of PBKS.
With a strong core, PBKS hope for a strong turnaround in their fortunes as they begin the hunt for their maiden trophy. Their opening match is against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 25 in Ahmedabad.
“The overall vision for this team is to win the IPL. I told the guys on the very first day when I joined the camp in Dharamshala that we were going to create and become the greatest Punjab Kings team that’s played,” a PBKS release quoted Ponting as saying. He further emphasised creating a winning attitude within the team so that the opposition doesn’t take anything away from them.
“Winning is really an attitude thing. If we turn up to play, the opposition turns up to play; if they want to beat us, then it feels like they’re taking something away. I don’t want to let anyone take anything away from me or take anything away from my team,” Ponting added.
Ponting on PBKS batting
Ponting is expecting the uncapped Indian players on his side to come good this season. He has high hopes for Priyansh Arya of Delhi and the Mumbai duo of Suryansh Shedge and Musheer Khan. “Priyansh Arya, I think, is a very special potential opening batsman for us going forward in the tournament. Depending on which way we go with our overseas make-up, he’s very exciting,” Ponting stressed.
He didn’t leave out Suryansh saying that he has been impressive in the team’s training sessions. He then talked about Musheer Khan, calling him a perfect combination of energy and fun. Ponting added that he has worked with the senior players so that they set the right example for the young boys, because if they don’t do the right thing, the young boys would follow them, so the seniors need to act like leaders.
With Ricky Ponting as their head coach, Punjab Kings will look for a strong turnaround in their fortunes, eyeing a maiden title in the IPL 2025. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
