After his appointment as the top coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) within the Indian Premier League (IPL), former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting opened up on his exit from the Delhi Capitals (DC) teaching setup, saying that his availability had develop into a difficulty and the franchise wished him to function as a full-time head coach. Ponting has been named the brand new head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) ranging from IPL 2025, following his departure from Delhi Capitals two months in the past, ending a seven-year stint with the franchise. Ponting turns into the third head coach in 4 seasons for Punjab Kings, who completed ninth within the 2024 IPL season. The workforce has not made the playoffs since 2014, once they had been runners-up. Considered one of Ponting’s preliminary duties might be to determine gamers for retention forward of the following season, pending the finalisation of the IPL’s retention guidelines.

Ponting’s IPL journey started as a participant with Kolkata Knight Riders within the inaugural 2008 season. He later joined the Mumbai Indians, the place he relinquished the captaincy mid-season in 2013, permitting Rohit Sharma to take over and lead the workforce to their first title that 12 months. Ponting continued in an advisory position in 2014 and served as head coach in 2015 and 2016.

In 2018, Ponting took over as head coach of the Delhi Capitals, guiding them to 3 consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, together with their maiden remaining in 2020.

After his tenure with the Delhi Capitals resulted in July 2024, Ponting led the Washington Freedom to a title-winning marketing campaign within the Main League Cricket (MLC).

Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Ponting stated that he managed to create a “household atmosphere” throughout his stint with the Capitals.

“I felt like we created a very good household atmosphere there. As I stated, I perceive what they need; they stated to me that my availability was changing into a difficulty. And so they wished to just about have a full-time head coach. I couldn’t decide to that, so I used to be disenchanted that it ended, however I perceive the course they wished to move going ahead,” stated Ponting.

“Everybody that I’ve been there with, has had a good time. You’ve solely to take a look at a few of the social media posts that Delhi put out straightaway to know that loads of the folks concerned within the franchise had been disenchanted that I wasn’t persevering with as effectively. However the selections had been made,” he added.

Ponting stated that the stress of successful a trophy weighs heavy on a coach, however he desires that stress.

“That’s the factor that makes teaching inviting to me. I like having that stress. It’s as near getting again to enjoying as you may presumably get. From the second I completed enjoying, when that competitors stops in your life, it’s actually exhausting to exchange that once more. The closest factor I might discover to enjoying was getting again within the cricket workforce’s altering room being a coach and feeling like you’re really enjoying once more. And training towards guys that I might need performed towards and guys which can be teaching that I performed against–I wish to beat them. Easy. A cricket altering room is the place I am purported to be,” he added.

Ponting acknowledged that he made loads of nice recollections throughout his IPL journey, calling teaching MI an “superior expertise.” He additionally stated that DC altering room was a “particular place” even and not using a trophy.

“However we made a few massive slip-ups in our mega-auction a few years in the past [2022] and even in all probability our participant retentions, and that set us again fairly a manner. And even this 12 months [2024], little issues went towards us once more, with Rishabh [Pant, DC captain] being suspended for a recreation that we needed to win. We missed the playoffs on run price. Little issues like that add up. The leads to T20 video games are determined by actually small margins. After which our season may be outlined by actually small margins as effectively. And we now have been on the incorrect finish of these for a few years at DC,” he added.

On the evolution of teaching within the IPL, Ponting stated that teaching has develop into extra particular now and groups are masking each base by appointing coaches for various roles.

“So you have got loads of the perfect coaches on the earth there without delay. And when you have got the perfect coaches and the perfect gamers, you’re assured to have high-quality cricket. What the IPL has carried out by having all of those coaches is, I believe, the rationale that India are literally pretty much as good as they’re. There has all the time been that expertise in India, however to have that expertise round the perfect coaches for 2 or three months yearly has helped them develop into higher gamers,” he added.

Ponting stated that loads of IPL franchises try to have a full-time teaching workers, one thing he thought-about not doing as a result of he wouldn’t have been accessible through the low season on account of different commitments and household time.

Key performers for Punjab final season included Harshal Patel, who received the Purple Cap for the second time, and the uncapped Indian gamers Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.

The squad additionally options notable skills like left-arm quick bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, and a powerful contingent of abroad gamers, together with England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.

With the latest retirement of Shikhar Dhawan, figuring out a brand new captain can even be a precedence for Ponting and the workforce administration.