After a wait of 11 years, Punjab Kings have finally broken their playoff drought in the Indian Premier League. With a crucial win over Mumbai Indians on Monday, PBKS not only confirmed their playoff spot but also sealed a place in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025. However, head coach Ricky Ponting remains grounded, reminding the team that the job is far from over.
“I’m obviously very pleased for the group,” Ponting told the host broadcasters after the match. “It’s a lot of hard work that goes into being able to achieve something like this as a team. I think it’s pretty obvious to see that this is a really talented team that are all on the same page and heading in the same direction.”
PBKS Move Closer to IPL 2025 Final
Ponting stressed the importance of staying focused and not getting carried away by their current success.
“I mean yeah, it’s a great achievement till now but really, if you look back, we haven’t achieved anything yet. That’s the one thing I’ve been saying to the players since the moment we qualified,” he said.
With a top-two finish secured, PBKS await their opponent in Qualifier 1 — either Gujarat Titans or Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“The vision for me was always to finish in the top two, and we’ve got there now. It’s a really happy group and we’ve enjoyed our time in each other’s company for the last ten weeks, but we’ve got another week to go yet,” he added.
Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer: A Proven Partnership
Ponting also shared his thoughts on captain Shreyas Iyer, who has played a key role in the team’s turnaround. The duo had previously worked together at Delhi Capitals, where they reached the final in 2020.
“I was pretty keen to work with Iyer again. It was pretty obvious how much money I was willing to spend on him at the auction. We had a great working relationship in Delhi, we made a final under his captaincy,” Ponting said.
“He’s a quality person and when you’ve got quality people around your team, when you’re trying to make a difference and you’re trying to change culture, that’s what you need. If you spoke to the players individually, I think every single one of them would give Shreyas a great rap because he has spent a lot of time with them.”
As PBKS prepare for Qualifier 1, they carry the hopes of their fans and the belief of a coach who knows what it takes to win. But as Ponting says, the ultimate goal — the IPL trophy — still lies ahead.
