IPL 2025: How Ponting-Iyer duo are helping Punjab Kings turn a corner

When was it last time that Punjab Kings was perched in second position of the IPL table with five wins in first seven matches? Difficult to remember as the 2014 runners-up, their best finish so far, had been perennial underachievers since then – often flattering only to deceive in the businessend of  the competition.

However, four weeks into the competition, the signs are quite encouraging this time as they romped home against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a rain-curtailed game on Friday to be poised at 10 points. It’s usually a given that any team needs a minimum of eight wins (16 points) to be in the running for a play-off spot and the manner in which Punjab Kings are showing signs of gelling as a team after a while, their management and fans can be cautiously optimistic of making the first cut.

What is it that the team is doing differently, under Shreyas Iyer’s smart captaincy and head coach Ricky Ponting, this year? There had been no dearth of big names as captains, coaches or players on the rolls for Punjab Kings over the years – with them rebranding themselves from Kings XI Punjab some years back but it failed to bring about a change of luck. However, what the management sorely lacked was patience and faith in virtues of continuity – the appointment of Ponting signalling their sixth coach in seven years.

This is where the Ponting-Iyer combination is promising to make a difference, though the real challenge always comes when the team’s campaign hits a turbulence.The former Australia captain and batting legend agreed to take charge of Punjab Kings only on a four-year contract, an unusually long term in the life of IPL coaches and is believed to have been given a carte blanche in running of the term. The mega auction saw the franchise breaking the bank for Iyer – secure in the thought that he had been in the form of his life and could potentially strike a winning combination with Ponting in a throwback to their association in the Delhi Capitals.

While the Punjab Kings line-up may not seem to be as well-rounded as some of the other teams, being a bit too dependant on allrounders, but they have tried to finalise on a core playing XI quickly by banking on Indian players and stuck to it barring cosmetic changes. This yielded a positive result up the order when they kept their faith on the rookie opening batter Priyansh Arya despite a modest start – and were rewarded soon with the debutant’s century for the ages. The opening pair of both uncapped players (Prabhsimran Singh the other batter) may be unheralded names, but the team management’s faith them have allowed them to express themselves.

Iyer, whose highest score in the ongoing IPL has been an unbeaten 97, already has three half-centuries in seven innings so far. As one of the best players of spin bowling in the country, the PBKS captain will flourish as the wickets get tired in the coming weeks – while his man management had been working magic with some of the seniors like Yuzvendra Chahal.

Shreyas Iyer, PBKS captain ‘’I personally had a chat with Chahal and told him that you are our matchwinner and you need to get us as many wickets as possible and you don't need to be safe. He has capability of bouncing back and he is one of the best bowlers in the IPL so far

It often passes under the radar that beneath his cheeky sense of humour and a happy-go-lucky personality of Chahal, lies an achiever and fine cricketing brain who is the alltime high wicket taker in his history of IPL with 213 wickets. The start to this tournament had been a poor one for Chahal till his 4-28 wrecked KKR the other day and followed it up with a crucial 2-11 against RCB. ‘’I personally had a chat with Chahal and told him that you are our matchwinner and you need to get us as many wickets as possible and you don't need to be safe. He has capability of bouncing back and he is one of the best bowlers in the IPL so far,’’ Iyer said.

The domestic core of the batting set-up, comprising of the likes of the two openers, Shashank Singh have made Iyer confident while the bowling is also heavily dependant on Arshdeep Singh (now the highest wicket taker for PBKS in IPL), left-arm spinner Hardeep Brar and of course Chahal.

One can, of course, put their money on an improved PBKS to make the play-offs and see how it goes from there. Both PBKS and RCB, meanwhile, will square off again in Mullanpur on Sunday (20 April).