Uncapped Players Have Driven Punjab’s IPL Resurgence, Says Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting, head coach of Punjab Kings, believes the franchise’s resurgence in IPL 2025 has been shaped by a bold strategic reset and the exceptional performances of uncapped Indian players. Punjab Kings, who last qualified for the playoffs in 2014, topped the league stage this season, showcasing a remarkable turnaround under Ponting’s leadership.

Speaking to PTI ahead of the IPL play-offs, the former Australian captain explained the thought process behind the team’s transformation. “When you say this team, it’s really this franchise, it’s not this team. This team is brand new,” Ponting said. “Once I got the job, I wanted to make sure that things were different around this team, around this franchise.”

Ponting on Team Approvach

Ponting revealed that he had demanded full autonomy before accepting the head coach role and opted for a radical approach in the player auction. “We went with a slightly different passage into the auction with just retaining the two younger uncapped players and we copped a bit of criticism for that at the time,” he recalled. “People thought we got that strategy wrong, but I was very clear on the vision that I had.”

The strategy paid off handsomely. “The fact that in the last game against Mumbai Indians, we had six uncapped players on our side, all of which are playing exceptionally good cricket, says it all,” Ponting added.

Among the standout performers, Ponting named Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, and Vijaykumar Vyshak. “There is four of them who can play for India,” he said. “Priyansh Arya has been a revelation for us at the top. Prabh is probably the obvious one — still only 24 and now has the most runs for an uncapped player in IPL history.”

“Shashank, you’ve only got to look at the cold, hard numbers. This year, he struck at 185 or something like that. All four of those guys could play for India,” he stated confidently.

Despite missing star players like Glenn Maxwell and Lockie Ferguson due to injuries, Ponting noted that the team had “hardly skipped a beat,” thanks to a strong Indian core and the leadership of captain Shreyas Iyer.

Ponting also shed light on his coaching philosophy. “My big mantra this year was to be different, to make this place feel different, look different from the outside, be really daring with the way that we play our cricket,” he said. “The best teams and the best players that I’ve ever been involved in have never been satisfied.”

As Punjab Kings prepare for the play-offs, Ponting’s experiment with youth and a bold mindset has injected fresh hope into a franchise long starved of success.

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