Punjab Kings qualified for IPL playoffs and final after a decade.
Former India cricketer Sarandeep Singh feels that the credit for Punjab Kings (PBKS) youngsters’ stupendous performances in IPL 2025 should not go to head coach Ricky Ponting. The leadership duo of Ponting and Shreyas Iyer was largely praised for the franchise’s turnaround as PBKS qualified for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs and the all-important final for the first time in a decade. They lost to the eventual champions by a low margin of six runs.
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Sarandeep stated that Ponting didn’t do anything exceptional beyond selecting players for the team. He believes that youngsters like Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh had a great season because their domestic coaches worked hard on them.
“You have performed and gone there. He just made you play there. If Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran have scored runs, their coaches have worked hard, and by listening to them, they have made these runs. But people say Ricky Ponting told them something different. You can help a bit skill-wise, but during the season, these things can’t happen. If you are selected in the IPL or India, you are selected to perform. It is only about man management. If you don’t perform domestically, how will you go there?” Sarandeep spoke on Taruwar Kohli’s YouTube channel.
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Punjab Kings had only two designated openers in the IPL 2025, but their gamble with the playing XI paid off well. They had retained Prabhsimran and picked Arya for a whopping INR 3.8 crore. While this was Arya’s first IPL season, Prabhsimran was playing his seventh edition. In the first six seasons, he had yet to cross the 400-run mark.
In IPL 2025, Prabhsimran amassed 549 runs in 17 matches, averaging 160.52. Arya, on the other hand, piled up 475 runs, averaging 27.92 at a strike rate of 179.24, including the third fastest century in IPL history. Together they amassed 532 runs for the first wicket, averaging 31.29, including a hundred and fifty partnership.
Apart from them, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh also delivered their best IPL season in terms of runs scored. Wadhera accumulated 369 runs in 15 innings, striking at 145.84. Shashank amassed 350 runs, averaging 50 and striking at 153.50. Notably, Shashank also led Punjab in one match and won, while Shreyas was out due to injury concerns.
