Mullanpur: Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, left, with coach Ricky Ponting (PTI Photo)
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting heaped praise on skipper Shreyas Iyer after the PBKS skipper hit a sensational unbeaten century to keep the franchise alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race. Punjab ended their six-match losing streak with a crushing seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, chasing down 197 in just 18 overs.
Shreyas led the charge with a brilliant 101 off 51 balls, registering his maiden IPL century, while Prabhsimran Singh smashed 69 off 39 balls in a 140-run match-winning stand for the third wicket. Reflecting on the win, Ponting admitted that Punjab had endured a tough road in recent weeks, but praised the team for responding under pressure. “We did it the hard way, let’s put it that way. We did what we had to do today.
Sloppy fielding again, giving them 20 runs more than they should have gotten. “Pretty clinical chase, especially getting into trouble early,” Ponting said after the match. The former Australia captain took special heaps of praise on Shreyas, revealing why Punjab invested heavily in him in the auction and lauded his leadership and temperament. “Captain, he’s done it all season. This is his maiden century in the Indian Premier League tonight.
We will celebrate that and then sit and wait for those results tomorrow.” “There’s a reason I spent as much money at auction as I did two years ago (on Iyer). He’s a ripped guy, a very mature player now, and a very mature leader. For the most part he keeps his emotions in check on the pitch. The respect he commands from his players is second to none.” Ponting also highlighted Shreyas’ influence inside the dressing room, saying that the PBKS players fully buy into their captain’s leadership. “The moment he stands in front of the group and speaks, not a single word is left out of the eye. Happy to work with him. Really happy with the season he has had,” Ponting added. The PBKS coach also backed Shreyas to play a bigger role in India’s white-ball setup in the future. “It’s great to see him back in the Indian one-day team. I truly believe there is a bigger and brighter future for him in the Indian T20 team as well,” he said. Punjab’s win lifted the team to fourth place with 15 points from 14 matches, although its hopes of qualifying for the qualifiers still depend on results elsewhere. Face of Rajasthan Royals
Mumbai Indians
On Sunday, PBKS needs Rajasthan to lose to stay in the top four. Ponting acknowledged Punjab’s significant decline in form after a strong first half of the season which hurt their campaign. “The level of cricket we played in the first half was a level I had never seen before. And then we made some crucial errors at different times in the last six matches,” he said. The Australian great also praised Prabhsimran Singh for continuing his impressive season and hailed the youngster’s growing confidence in the opener. “A fantastic player. He probably only realized how good he is in the last couple of years. He and Priyansh have been fantastic for us in the last two seasons. Seeing him play a mature innings tonight in a good chase will do him a world of good,” Ponting said. With Punjab’s fate now dependent on Sunday’s results, Ponting revealed that the team will closely monitor the remaining crucial matches. “We will try to get the boys together and watch it (RR-MI match),” he concluded.
