Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has penned down a new four-year contract with IPL franchise Punjab Kings. After parting ways with Trevor Bayliss, the Punjab Kings have been looking for a new head coach who can make them a stable and consistent side and remove the tag of a team that has had difficulty staying consistent in the league.
Both the Punjab Kings and Ponting have been constantly looking for other options as well, but eventually, they ended up on the same note. Punjab Kings were seeking a suitable candidate, including an Indian while Ponting himself had received offers from other IPL teams. However, as negotiations advanced, they reached a final deal.
After becoming the new head coach of the Punjab Kings, Ponting shared his views during the media interaction by saying, “I am grateful to Punjab Kings for presenting me with the opportunity to be the new Head Coach. I am excited to take up the new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and the management about the way forward and was truly elated to see the alignment of our visions for the team. We all want to repay the fans who have stayed with the franchise over the years and we promise that they will see a much different Punjab Kings going forward.”
Within the IPL community, Ponting enjoys a stellar reputation and is well-known for his professionalism and capacity to motivate young players. Some players who have benefited from his coaching method, which emphasizes discipline and developing potential, include Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, who both played for the Delhi Capitals under his direction.
Young talents who have worked with him attest to the value of his hands-on style. He’s rumored to take a rookie player out for breakfast every morning, giving them advice and one-on-one time. There are many reports that suggest that he also supposedly arrives first and leaves last at regular practice sessions, setting a good example for others.
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Ricky Ponting has gained his reputation for grooming young players during his Delhi Capitals days. In his six-year sting at Delhi Capitals from 2018-2024, Delhi made it to the playoffs for three consecutive IPL seasons. It was Ricky’s tenure in 2020 when Delhi Capitals played its first IPL final, although they lost to Mumbai Indians. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, they came in fifth, ninth, and sixth, respectively.
Before joining Delhi Capitals Ponting started his IPL journey as a coach or mentor with the Mumbai Indians in 2013. He was part of the Mumbai Indians’ two title-winning campaigns in 2013 and 2015.
Now, Ponting has embarked on a new voyage with the Punjab Kings, who are known to change coaches frequently. Although they have sought to give the coaches a longer run recently than in the past.
Anil Kumble was the coach for PBKS for three seasons (2020, 2021, and 2022) before to Bayliss (2023, 24). And prior to him, Mike Hesson took over as coach for a single year in 2019 after Brad Hodge’s (2018) tenure. So, it will be a huge task for Ricky Ponting to serve a four-year tenure at the Punjab Kings.
Punjab is one of the most unstable and inconsistent teams in IPL and has made it to the playoffs just twice (2008, 2014). Their only appearance in the IPL final was in 2014 when they lost the IPL title to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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