Ricky Ponting Praises Shreyas Iyer After PBKS Sealed Qualifier 1 Spot, Reflects on Working Relationship

Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has applauded skipper Shreyas Iyer for his leadership style. After the PBKS vs MI fixture on Monday, Ponting opened up about his working relationship with Iyer.

Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians on Monday and sealed a place in the top two. Punjab Kings will now face either Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Gujarat Titans on Thursday, May 29, in Qualifier 1.

Ponting was eager to work with Iyer

Iyer led PBKS to the playoffs this season, the first time for the franchise in 11 years, proving his worth to the team. Ponting, earlier having worked with Iyer in the Delhi Capitals, expressed his appreciation for the skipper.

“I was pretty keen to work with him, Iyer, again. It was pretty obvious that 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 in Delhi under his captaincy. I’ve known him as a person and as a player for a long time. 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,” Ponting said while speaking with the host broadcaster.

“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. He’s pumped them up, he’s given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he’s given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader,” he added.

‘Haven’t achieved anything yet…’

Although PBKS have secured a place in the top two, Ponting believes that they have not achieved anything yet.

“I’m obviously very pleased for the group. 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,” he said.

“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 added.

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