Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting struck a perfect balance between celebration and caution after his side’s commanding seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. While the victory sealed a top-two finish for PBKS and a spot in the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2014, Ponting was quick to remind everyone that the job is far from finished.
The win was set up by two stellar knocks—Priyansh Arya’s explosive 62 and Josh Inglis’ unbeaten 73—which made light work of Mumbai’s target. Reflecting on the campaign so far, Ponting acknowledged the effort it took to turn things around and praised the team’s fearless young core and steady leadership under Shreyas Iyer.
“I’m very pleased—there’s been a lot of hard work to get here. It all starts with the auction. Coming into a new franchise, my aim was to make an immediate impact. This is a quality team moving in the right direction, but I’ve been telling the players we haven’t achieved anything yet. The big games are coming,” Ricky Ponting said in the post-match presentation.
ALSO READ: Shreyas Iyer Credits Ricky Ponting’s Trust and Freedom as Punjab Kings Secure IPL 2025 Playoff Berth
Ponting reserved special praise for Prabhsimran Singh, who has crossed 500 runs this season, and hailed Priyansh Arya as one of the discoveries of IPL 2025.
“You see these young players—fearless, backing themselves, hitting cleanly. That’s what makes this group exciting. The overseas players like Inglis and Stoinis have been fantastic, and Shreyas Iyer has led from the front. We’re a tight unit—we’ve enjoyed each other’s company over the past ten weeks, but we’ve still got one more mountain to climb.”
Ricky Ponting also addressed the absence of key pacer Marco Jansen, who has exited the tournament due to national duties. While acknowledging Jansen will be missed, Ponting said the squad has enough depth to adapt.
“Marco’s a big loss, no doubt. But that’s where squad depth matters. We brought in Jamieson tonight to ensure he got game time before the knockouts. Every team is managing player availability—we believe we have the bench strength to cover.”
WATCH – Digvesh Rathi Reveals Story Behind His Viral Notebook Celebration Amid IPL 2025 Controversy
He also confirmed that senior players like Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal should return in time for the playoffs. “We’ll enjoy tonight like we’ve done all season, then get back to the grind. The mindset is clear: rest, recover, and prepare for the biggest games yet,” Ricky Ponting concluded.
With their net run-rate advantage, Punjab Kings are on course to finish at the top unless RCB manage a massive win against LSG in their final league game.
