After his appointment as the head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting opened up on his exit from the Delhi Capitals (DC) coaching setup, saying that his availability had become an issue and the franchise wanted him to operate as a full-time head coach. Ponting has been named the new head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) starting from IPL 2025, following his departure from Delhi Capitals two months ago, ending a seven-year stint with the franchise. Ponting becomes the third head coach in four seasons for Punjab Kings, who finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season. The team has not made the playoffs since 2014, when they were runners-up. One of Ponting’s initial tasks will be to identify players for retention ahead of the next season, pending the finalisation of the IPL’s retention rules.

Ponting’s IPL journey began as a player with Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural 2008 season. He later joined the Mumbai Indians, where he relinquished the captaincy mid-season in 2013, allowing Rohit Sharma to take over and lead the team to their first title that year. Ponting continued in an advisory role in 2014 and served as head coach in 2015 and 2016.

In 2018, Ponting took over as head coach of the Delhi Capitals, guiding them to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021, including their maiden final in 2020.

After his tenure with the Delhi Capitals ended in July 2024, Ponting led the Washington Freedom to a title-winning campaign in the Major League Cricket (MLC).

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Ponting said that he managed to create a “family environment” during his stint with the Capitals.

“I felt like we created a really good family environment there. As I said, I understand what they want; they said to me that my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted to pretty much have a full-time head coach. I could not commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to head going forward,” said Ponting.

“Everyone that I have been there with, has had a great time. You have only to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out straightaway to understand that a lot of the people involved in the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t continuing as well. But the decisions were made,” he added.

Ponting said that the pressure of winning a trophy weighs heavy on a coach, but he wants that pressure.

“That is the thing that makes coaching inviting to me. I like having that pressure. It is as close to getting back to playing as you can possibly get. From the moment I finished playing, when that competition stops in your life, it is really hard to replace that again. The closest thing I could find to playing was getting back in the cricket team’s changing room being a coach and feeling like you are actually playing again. And coaching against guys that I might have played against and guys that are coaching that I played against–I want to beat them. Simple. A cricket changing room is where I’m supposed to be,” he added.

Ponting acknowledged that he made a lot of great memories during his IPL journey, calling coaching MI an “awesome experience.” He also said that DC changing room was a “special place” even without a trophy.

“But we made a couple of big slip-ups in our mega-auction a couple of years ago [2022] and even probably our player retentions, and that set us back quite a way. And even this year [2024], little things went against us again, with Rishabh [Pant, DC captain] being suspended for a game that we had to win. We missed the playoffs on run rate. Little things like that add up. The results in T20 games are decided by really small margins. And then our season can be defined by really small margins as well. And we have been on the wrong end of those for a couple of years at DC,” he added.

On the evolution of coaching in the IPL, Ponting said that coaching has become more specific now and teams are covering every base by appointing coaches for different roles.

“So you have a lot of the best coaches in the world there at once. And when you have the best coaches and the best players, you are guaranteed to have high-quality cricket. What the IPL has done by having all of these coaches is, I think, the reason that India are actually as good as they are. There has always been that talent in India, but to have that talent around the best coaches for two or three months every year has helped them become better players,” he added.

Ponting said that a lot of IPL franchises are trying to have a full-time coaching staff, something he considered not doing because he would not have been available during the off-season due to other commitments and family time.

Key performers for Punjab last season included Harshal Patel, who won the Purple Cap for the second time, and the uncapped Indian players Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.

The squad also features notable talents like left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, and a strong contingent of overseas players, including England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African pacer Kagiso Rabada.

With the recent retirement of Shikhar Dhawan, identifying a new captain will also be a priority for Ponting and the team management.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting expressed his excitement on Wednesday after being named the new head coach of Punjab Kings, calling it a “new challenge.” Earlier on Wednesday, Punjab Kings announced Ponting’s appointment as head coach. He will assume charge for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and beyond. Ponting said he is “grateful” to the Punjab-based franchise for the opportunity and noted that the team’s owners were “elated” with his vision for the side. Ahead of the 2025 IPL season, Ponting ‘promised’ that fans would see a markedly different Punjab Kings.

“I am grateful to Punjab Kings for giving me the opportunity to become the new head coach. I am excited to take on this new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and management about the way forward and was thrilled to see how closely our visions aligned. We all want to reward the loyal fans who have supported the franchise over the years, and we promise they will see a much-improved Punjab Kings,” Ponting said in a statement from the team.

Ponting is the third head coach in four seasons for Punjab Kings, who finished ninth in the 2024 IPL season.

The team has not reached the playoffs since 2014, when they were runners-up. One of Ponting’s first tasks will be identifying players for retention ahead of the next season, subject to the finalisation of IPL’s retention rules.

Speaking on Ponting’s appointment, Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon said, “We are delighted to have Ricky onboard to guide and build our team over the next four seasons. His vast experience is crucial in helping us develop a squad capable of delivering on-field success. His insights from international coaching stints and as a television pundit will be vital in identifying talent ahead of the upcoming mega auction. Ricky’s ability to nurture cricketing and leadership skills will play a pivotal role in our success.”

Ponting’s IPL journey began as a player with Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural 2008 season. He later joined Mumbai Indians, where he relinquished the captaincy midway through the 2013 season, allowing Rohit Sharma to lead the team to their first title.

Ponting has previously coached Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the IPL across 11 seasons, guiding them to one championship and four playoff appearances.

In the 2024 Major League Cricket (MLC) season, he was appointed head coach of Washington Freedom, leading them to the title. Since 2021, Ponting has also been the head of strategy for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Mental health is one issue that has been discussed a lot in elite sports in the last few years. While many chose to deal with it silently, some have been brave enough to accept it openly. Australia bowler Jhye Richardson is one such player. He was part of the IPL in 2021 and 2024. He has now said that during the 2021 IPL, when he played for Punjab Kings – a team that had KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mohammed Shami among others – when he suffered the most.  

“A lot of it started during COVID. My trip to the IPL – I left home not in the headspace that I probably should have been,” Richardson told cricket.com.au.

“Then things sort of hit the fan while I was away, and everything with COVID and not being able to get home and stuff like that, it just toppled on top of each other.

“I think you don’t realise what sort of space you’re in until it becomes too much, which is why now I encourage a lot of young cricketers to work on their mental health – even if they think that they’re going okay.

“It’s like practicing for the short ball. The more you practice the short ball, the better you’re going to be at it when that situation arises out in the middle. It’s very similar off the field.”

Richardson, who has played three Tests, 15 ODIs and 18 T20Is, is eyeing a return in Tests. Earlier, the situation was so grave that Richardson felt the need of “professional intervention.”

“Everything just got to a point where there was some professional intervention that needed to happen. I’m not willing to go into a whole lot of detail, but I just landed in a spot where things were bad enough that I stepped back and said, ‘I can’t continue thinking the way that I am’ and (needed) to get a bit more education and knowledge about how the brain works.”

Richarson lauded Western Australia for lending a helping hand. “A lot of the judgment has gone nowadays. Within our (WA) group we trust everyone with the way that they want to go about things. People are individuals – they train different ways, they think differently,” he said.

“The resources within cricket nowadays make the process of dealing with mental health issues a lot easier and there is a lot more education there.

“But as someone who has dealt with anxiety, not just on the field but away from cricket and day-to-day living, it can be quite exhausting.”

File photo of Rohit Sharma© X (Twitter)

The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma hailed his long-time opening partner Shikhar Dhawan following his international and domestic cricket retirement, calling him “The Ultimate Jatt”. Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on Saturday after an illustrious career that saw him flourish as a dependable and swashbuckling opener across all formats, most notably ODIs and during multi-nation 50-over tournaments. Taking to X, Rohit shared a series of pictures with Shikhar, showing their rock-solid bond on and off the field.

The ‘Hitman’ in his caption reflected on the times spent “sharing rooms to sharing lifetime memories on the field” and how having the left-hander by his side made his cricketing journey easier.

“From sharing rooms to sharing lifetime memories on the field. You always made my job easier from the other end. THE ULTIMATE JATT. @SDhawan25,” said the caption of Rohit’s Instagram post.

Shikhar wasted no time in replying to opening partner’s touching post, saying, “Thanks Bro.” on X.

Ranked as the eighth most successful pair in ODIs, the duo scored 5,193 ODI runs as a pair in 117 innings at an average of 45.15, with 18 century partnerships and 15 half-century stands. Their best partnership was of 210 runs.

Reflecting their all-format dominance as a duo, Dhawan-Rohit are ranked 16th in the all-time international cricket list, with 6,984 runs in 173 innings at an average of 40.84, with 22 century and half-century partnerships each. Their best partnership still remains of 210 runs.

As Rohit started to transition into an opening batter from 2013 onwards, it was Dhawan’s explosive starts that would often help Rohit take his time and settle. In overs 1-10, Dhawan batted with a strike rate of 82.5, as compared to Rohit’s 72.4. From overs 11-20, Rohit would up the ante with a strike rate of 89.7, as compared to Dhawan’s 88. In overs 21-30, both batted with SRs of above 100, with Dhawan (112.8) scoring faster than Rohit (106.8). In 31-40 overs, both would accelarate even more, scoring at SRs of 119 and 117.8 respectively.

In his illustrious career, runs effortlessly came off Dhawan’s bat. He represented India across all formats, but ODI was his forte. In 167 appearances, the southpaw produced swashbuckling performances and racked up 6,793 runs at an average of 44.1, including 17 centuries and 39 fifties.

In the longest format of cricket, where he stitched up memorable partnerships with Murali Vijay, Dhawan garnered 2,315 runs in 34 matches at an average of 40.6. His Test career was laced with seven tons and five half-centuries.

In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.

In the domestic circuit, Dhawan played 122 first-class cricket matches and handsomely scored 8,499 runs at an average of 44.26, including 25 centuries and 29 fifties.

In List A, Dhawan played 302 matches and scored a whopping 12,074 runs at an average of 43.90. His remarkable statistics are further glistened by 30 centuries and 67 half-centuries.

Dhawan is also the second-highest run-getter of all time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 6,769 runs in 222 matches at an average of 35.25, with two centuries and 51 fifties.

He also secured an ICC Champions Trophy with India in 2013 and an IPL title with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016.

File photo of Zaheer Khan© BCCI/Sportzpics

File photo of Ness Wadia, Sanjay Bangar and Preity ZInta© BCCI

File photo of Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan© AFP

In search of their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to appoint a new head coach for the next edition of the tournament. According to a report in the Indian Express, former India batter Wasim Jaffer is set to take up the role, succeeding Trevor Bayliss, whose two-year contract ended. This will be Jaffer’s third stint with the Punjab Kings, having been released as the batting consultant by the franchise ahead of this year’s IPL.

The 46-year-old, who played 31 Tests and 2 ODIs for India, was the batting coach of PBKS between 2019-2021 but stepped down from his role before the IPL 2022 auction.

PBKS, who have not made it to the playoffs since 2014, blew hot and cold during the entire IPL 2024 earlier this year, finishing ninth in the points table.

PBKS are IPL’s perennial underachievers, with the franchise one of the four teams yet to win an IPL title.

PBKS recorded the highest successful run-chase in T20 cricket earlier this year, chasing down 262 at the Eden Gardens to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets.

Bayliss, a World Cup winning coach who also guided KKR to two IPL trophies, failed to turn an inconsistent PBKS into a consistent outfit.

He had signed a two-year contract with the Punjab side back in 2022. However, three poor seasons on the trot, with bottom-half finishes in the table isn’t what 2014 finalists were looking forward to.

Jaffer, if appointed, will bring in a fresh approach to the franchise.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is set to meet with all 10 teams on July 31 to discuss the number of retentions teams can make and the Right to Match (RTM) options in hand ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction.

A report by Cricbuzz says IPL CEO Hemang Amin sent text messages to the franchise owners on Thursday morning for the meeting on July 31, telling them that a formal invite with the venue and timing would follow.

Indian Premier League franchise Punjab Kings is not likely to renew the contract of head coach Trevor Bayliss, as per a report. The Australian cricket coach took over the duties from Anil Kumble at PBKS ahead of the 2023 IPL season. Bayliss’ two-year contract with the side has ended now and the franchise is unlikely to continue with him, said the report. It added that PBKS are in hunt for an Indian coach. If this turns out to be true, Bayliss would be the second Australian coach after Ricky Ponting to be removed this month.

Indian coaches and mentors in IPL, of late, have given good results to different franchises.

“PBKS are on the lookout for an Indian coach to guide the team. Whether they will ultimately choose an Indian coach remains to be seen, but they are believed to be considering several options with one of them being Sanjay Bangar,” stated a report in Cricbuzz.

Apart from PBKS, Bayliss has also coached teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Under his coaching, PBKS finished at the eighth and ninth spots in IPL 2023 and 2024, respectively, which seems to have played a significant role in his potential ouster.

The same report added that PBKS owners did not have any complaint with the coaching style of the Australian but it is the result of the team’s performance that has forced them to come to the decision.

Around a week ago, Delhi Capitals parted ways with head coach Ricky Ponting after seven unsuccessful years in their quest for an elusive IPL silverware, the franchise announced on social media.

While it is still early days, there is every possibility that Sourav Ganguly, the current team director of DC, could double up as the head coach next season.

“As you move on as our head coach, we are finding it incredibly difficult to put it down in words. The four things that you told us about in every huddle — care, commitment, attitude and effort, they sum up our seven years together,” DC posted on their official ‘X’ handle.