NEW DELHI: Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, has been appointed as the head coach of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Following his departure from the Delhi Capitals (DC), Ponting revealed that his availability had become an issue, leading the franchise to seek a full-time head coach.
Ponting will take charge of PBKS starting from IPL 2025, after ending his seven-year association with DC two months ago.His appointment marks the third head coach for PBKS within four seasons, as the team finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season and has not qualified for the playoffs since 2014.
One of Ponting’s primary tasks will be identifying players for retention ahead of the upcoming season, pending the finalisation of the IPL’s retention rules, reported ANI.
Ponting began his IPL journey as a player with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural 2008 season. He later joined the Mumbai Indians, stepping down as captain in 2013 to allow Rohit Sharma to lead the team to their first title. He continued with MI as an advisor in 2014 and then as head coach in 2015 and 2016.
In 2018, Ponting took over as head coach of the Delhi Capitals, guiding the team to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, including their first final in 2020.
Ponting’s stint with DC ended in July 2024, after which he led the Washington Freedom to a title-winning campaign in the Major League Cricket (MLC).
“I felt like we created a really good family environment there. As I said, I understand what they want; they said to me that my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted to pretty much have a full-time head coach. I could not commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to head going forward.”
“Everyone that I have been there with, has had a great time. You have only to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out straightaway to understand that a lot of the people involved in the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t continuing as well. But the decisions were made.”
Ponting acknowledged the pressure of winning a trophy as a coach but welcomed it.
“That is the thing that makes coaching inviting to me. I like having that pressure. It is as close to getting back to playing as you can possibly get. From the moment I finished playing, when that competition stops in your life, it is really hard to replace that again. The closest thing I could find to playing was getting back in the cricket team’s changing room being a coach and feeling like you are actually playing again. And coaching against guys that I might have played against and guys that are coaching that I played against–I want to beat them. Simple. A cricket changing room is where I’m supposed to be.”
Reflecting on his IPL journey, Ponting called coaching MI an “awesome experience” and described the DC changing room as a “special place” despite not winning a trophy.
“But we made a couple of big slip-ups in our mega-auction a couple of years ago [2022] and even probably our player retentions, and that set us back quite a way. And even this year [2024], little things went against us again, with Rishabh [Pant, DC captain] being suspended for a game that we had to win. We missed the playoffs on run rate. Little things like that add up. The results in T20 games are decided by really small margins. And then our season can be defined by really small margins as well. And we have been on the wrong end of those for a couple of years at DC.”
Ponting noted that coaching in the IPL has evolved and is now more specific, with teams covering every aspect by appointing specialized coaches.
“So you have a lot of the best coaches in the world there at once. And when you have the best coaches and the best players, you are guaranteed to have high-quality cricket. What the IPL has done by having all of these coaches is, I think, the reason that India are actually as good as they are. There has always been that talent in India, but to have that talent around the best coaches for two or three months every year has helped them become better players.”
Ponting also mentioned that many IPL franchises are moving towards having a full-time coaching staff. He himself considered not taking such a role due to his other commitments and need for family time.
Key performers for Punjab last season included Harshal Patel, who won the Purple Cap for the second time, and the uncapped Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.
The squad also includes talents like left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. Notable overseas players in the team are England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.
With Shikhar Dhawan‘s recent retirement, identifying a new captain will also be a priority for Ponting and the team management.
Ponting will take charge of PBKS starting from IPL 2025, after ending his seven-year association with DC two months ago.His appointment marks the third head coach for PBKS within four seasons, as the team finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season and has not qualified for the playoffs since 2014.
One of Ponting’s primary tasks will be identifying players for retention ahead of the upcoming season, pending the finalisation of the IPL’s retention rules, reported ANI.
Ponting began his IPL journey as a player with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural 2008 season. He later joined the Mumbai Indians, stepping down as captain in 2013 to allow Rohit Sharma to lead the team to their first title. He continued with MI as an advisor in 2014 and then as head coach in 2015 and 2016.
In 2018, Ponting took over as head coach of the Delhi Capitals, guiding the team to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, including their first final in 2020.
Ponting’s stint with DC ended in July 2024, after which he led the Washington Freedom to a title-winning campaign in the Major League Cricket (MLC).
“I felt like we created a really good family environment there. As I said, I understand what they want; they said to me that my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted to pretty much have a full-time head coach. I could not commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to head going forward.”
“Everyone that I have been there with, has had a great time. You have only to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out straightaway to understand that a lot of the people involved in the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t continuing as well. But the decisions were made.”
Ponting acknowledged the pressure of winning a trophy as a coach but welcomed it.
“That is the thing that makes coaching inviting to me. I like having that pressure. It is as close to getting back to playing as you can possibly get. From the moment I finished playing, when that competition stops in your life, it is really hard to replace that again. The closest thing I could find to playing was getting back in the cricket team’s changing room being a coach and feeling like you are actually playing again. And coaching against guys that I might have played against and guys that are coaching that I played against–I want to beat them. Simple. A cricket changing room is where I’m supposed to be.”
Reflecting on his IPL journey, Ponting called coaching MI an “awesome experience” and described the DC changing room as a “special place” despite not winning a trophy.
“But we made a couple of big slip-ups in our mega-auction a couple of years ago [2022] and even probably our player retentions, and that set us back quite a way. And even this year [2024], little things went against us again, with Rishabh [Pant, DC captain] being suspended for a game that we had to win. We missed the playoffs on run rate. Little things like that add up. The results in T20 games are decided by really small margins. And then our season can be defined by really small margins as well. And we have been on the wrong end of those for a couple of years at DC.”
Ponting noted that coaching in the IPL has evolved and is now more specific, with teams covering every aspect by appointing specialized coaches.
“So you have a lot of the best coaches in the world there at once. And when you have the best coaches and the best players, you are guaranteed to have high-quality cricket. What the IPL has done by having all of these coaches is, I think, the reason that India are actually as good as they are. There has always been that talent in India, but to have that talent around the best coaches for two or three months every year has helped them become better players.”
Ponting also mentioned that many IPL franchises are moving towards having a full-time coaching staff. He himself considered not taking such a role due to his other commitments and need for family time.
Key performers for Punjab last season included Harshal Patel, who won the Purple Cap for the second time, and the uncapped Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.
The squad also includes talents like left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. Notable overseas players in the team are England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.
With Shikhar Dhawan‘s recent retirement, identifying a new captain will also be a priority for Ponting and the team management.