Ricky Ponting vows destructive brand of cricket at PBKS: No scars from past
Punjab Kings will be under the tutelage of a new coach and captain duo. After a torrid time in the last two seasons, the management did a clean sweep of the squad and brought in fresh faces, free of the baggage of the past. Speaking ahead of the Indian Premier League’s 2025 season, PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting has vowed that the team will be playing a destructive brand of cricket.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Ponting said that there were no scars of the past in this team and they were here to create new memories. From last season’s squad, PBKS only retained opener Prabhsimran Singh and finisher Shashank Singh and brought in a host of new players. They also RTMed Arshdeep Singh at a hefty sum of Rs 18 crore.
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“We are here to play a really dynamic and entertaining brand of cricket. And I know that we have got the players who can do that. We don’t need to be afraid of anything. We can build a great culture in this team when things get underway. I can’t wait for the first game to come around,” Ricky Ponting said in Chandigarh on Tuesday, March 18.
“When you go to play GT in our first match, you will see XI Kings. You will see some really destructive and highly entertaining cricket over the next 5 weeks,” he added.
“What’s happened in the past is irrelevant. It does not matter. We have retained only 2 guys from last year, so there are no scars, there’s no bad memories for this group. We are here to make new memories,” concluded Ponting.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer added to the coach’s comments and said that he saw the 2025 season as an opportunity and was not under any kind of pressure.
Punjab Kings are one of the two founding members of the IPL who have not won a trophy yet. They reached the final only once, back in the 2014 season.
“The goal is to win the trophy, that’s our mindset right now, and it’s a step-by-step process. It’s not like you wake up in the morning and do it, but the way we’re practicing right now and the way we’re sharing our wavelength and camaraderie with each other, it’s going really well,” Shreyas Iyer said.
