Ricky Ponting, the head coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), has stated that he was very forward to collaborate with Shreyas Iyer, the team captain, for the 2025 Indian Premier League. The Australian icon said that despite only joining the team a few days ago, Shreyas has already made an impact as a leader and described the Indian batter as a fantastic person being.
Prior to this, Shreyas and Ponting were teammates with the Delhi Capitals (DC), serving as coach and captain, respectively. At the mega auction, PBKS paid an incredible ₹26.75 crore for the former, who helped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win the 2024 Indian Premier League, making him the second most expensive player in IPL history.
Ponting was excited to be reunited with Shreyas at Punjab Kings at a media appearance. He praised the Indian celebrity, saying (as reported 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.
Ricky Ponting
“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.”
Ricky Ponting
𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐢 𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬! 🦁🇦🇺#PunjabKings #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/YvEzn2hPnP
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 15, 2025Prior to the IPL 2025 auction, PBKS only kept two players: Prabhsimran Singh for ₹4 crore and Shashank Singh for ₹5.50 crore. In addition to Shreyas, they paid ₹11 crore for Marcus Stoinis and ₹18 crore apiece for Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal at the big auction.
“He made me feel like I’m a great player” – Shreyas Iyer praises Ricky Ponting
Shreyas also praised Ponting during the media appearance, calling the former Australian captain a coach who believes in no senior-junior culture and supports everyone. The 30-year-old went on to say:
“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.”
Shreyas Iyer
📸 from our first training session of the season at #SaddaAkhada! ✨#PunjabKings #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/8EQfxSmD0A
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 18, 2025
On March 25, Punjab Kings will play Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium to kick off their IPL 2025 campaign.
