Although the immediate target of Punjab Kings is to end their title drought in the Indian Premier League (IPL), their newly appointed head coach Ricky Ponting also wants his team to be the best-ever Punjab Kings side.
With Ponting taking over as the head coach and last year's IPL winning captain Shreyas Iyer becoming the skipper, Punjab Kings hope for a strong turnaround in their fortunes as they hunt for their maiden IPL title.
Punjab Kings will take on Gujarat Titans in their opening match on March 25 in Ahmedabad.
“Our main objective is winning the IPL. On the very first day after taking over as the coach, I told the guys that we were going to become the greatest-ever Punjab Kings team.”
“That's the journey that we're on and that doesn't happen overnight. You've got to create that,” he said.
The Australian batting legend emphasised on developing a winning attitude, adding that he doesn't want the opposition to take anything away from his side.
“Winning is an attitude. I don't want to allow any team to take anything away from me or from my team,” he said.
Ponting tipped uncapped Indian players Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, and Musheer Khan to excel in IPL 2025.
“Priyansh is a talented opening batsman. He is exciting and will be a key part of our squad, depending on which way we go with our overseas combinations. Suryansh is also someone who has been very impressive during trainings,” he said.
“When I talk about energy and fun, another player that I'm impressed with is Musheer Khan. He's brought a lot to the group already. He has got an infectious attitude, and around the training ground and around the team, he's been someone that I've really enjoyed working with.”
Ponting also emphasised on the senior players setting the right example for youngsters.
“I've been striving hard to ensure that they're setting the right example,” he said.
"Because a lot of the young domestic Indian players look up to the overseas boys and if the overseas boys aren't doing the right things, then it's easy for the young Indian guys to be complacent. So I empower the overseas guys to be the leaders and lead the way,” added the former Australia captain.
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