Ricky Ponting has officially been appointed as the head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) starting from the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This announcement comes just over two months after Ponting parted ways with Delhi Capitals, ending a successful seven-year stint with the franchise.
Ponting has signed a four-year contract with Punjab Kings, a team owned by multiple stakeholders. It is expected that Ponting will have significant authority over the coaching staff, including deciding who will remain from the previous season’s lineup. The current status of the previous coaching team, including Trevor Bayliss (head coach), Sanjay Bangar (head of cricket development), Charl Langeveldt (fast-bowling coach), and Sunil Joshi (spin-bowling coach), remains unclear.
In his statement, Ponting expressed gratitude to the Punjab Kings for the opportunity and shared his enthusiasm about the new challenge. “I am excited to take up this new challenge and grateful to Punjab Kings for the opportunity. Our discussions with the management have shown a strong alignment in our vision for the team’s future. We want to deliver a much-improved Punjab Kings for our loyal fans,” Ponting said.
This marks the third head coach change for Punjab Kings in four seasons, as they look to reverse their fortunes after finishing ninth in the 2024 IPL season. The franchise has not made the playoffs since their runner-up finish in 2014, making Ponting’s immediate task the assembly of a strong squad, pending IPL’s confirmation of retention rules for 2025.
With the recent retirement of their captain Shikhar Dhawan, one of Ponting’s top priorities will be identifying a new leader for the team.
Ponting, a prominent figure in the IPL since its inception in 2008, started his IPL journey as a player with Kolkata Knight Riders and later moved to Mumbai Indians, where he stepped down as captain during the 2013 season, paving the way for Rohit Sharma to lead the team to their first title. He later served as head coach of Mumbai Indians in 2015-16.
Ponting’s most recent success came with Delhi Capitals, leading them to the playoffs for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, including their first-ever final in 2020. After parting ways with Delhi, Ponting’s coaching career saw a new high when he guided Washington Freedom to victory in the 2024 season of Major League Cricket (MLC).
With this new chapter at Punjab Kings, fans are hopeful that Ponting’s leadership will help transform the franchise into a title contender.
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