I was desperate to work with Shreyas again

Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has asserted that he was extremely keen to work with franchise skipper Shreyas Iyer for IPL 2025. Describing the Indian batter as a great human being, the Australian legend added that Shreyas has already made an impact as leader although he joined the camp only a couple of days back.

Shreyas and Ponting earlier worked together as coach and captain respectively during their stint with Delhi Capitals (DC). The former, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in IPL 2024, was purchased by PBKS at the mega auction for a whopping ₹26.75 crore, making him the second most expensive player in the history of the IPL.

At a media interaction, Ponting expressed excitement over reuniting with Shreyas at Punjab Kings. Praising the Indian star, he said (as quoted by PTI):

“I was desperate to work with Shreyas again. We had a great working relationship at Delhi over a long period of time. He’s one of the best players that I’ve worked with.

“He’s a great human being. He’s an IPL winning captain. You couldn’t ask for much more. He’s only joined the camp a couple of days ago. So he’s starting to make his mark on the team as a captain and as a leader. We’ve put a great squad together. As you know, captain-coach relationship in any team is vital. And I know that we’ve got a really good strong one here,” the former Aussie skipper added.

PBKS retained only two players ahead of the IPL 2025 auction – Shashank Singh for ₹5.50 crore and Prabhsimran Singh for ₹4 crore. At the mega auction, apart from Shreyas, they bought Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal for ₹18 crore each and Marcus Stoinis for ₹11 crore.

“He made me feel like I’m a great player” – Shreyas Iyer praises Ricky Ponting

During the media interaction, Shreyas also hailed Ponting and described the former Australian captain as a coach who supports everyone and does not believe in senior-junior culture. The 30-year-old elaborated:

“I’ve worked with him for almost three years in a franchise. And I know how he thinks about every individual on and off the field. He supports everyone. You see in some places there is a senior-junior culture. But when I worked with him for the first time, he made me feel like I’m a great player. And I can easily excel in this format. So, the confidence he gives is of a different level.”

Punjab Kings will open their IPL 2025 campaign with a match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 25.

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Edited by Renin Wilben Albert