‘It Was Erratic’: Former Punjab Kings Captain’s Brutal Take on the Management Ahead of Their IPL 2025 Opener Against Gujarat Titans

Former Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) skipper Adam Gilchrist, who captained the side from 2011 to 2013 in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has recently criticised the team management. He took a dig at the franchise owners by labelling them as “erratic.”

“There is still the same ownership when I was the captain of that particular franchise. It was somewhat erratic at times and that might be the handbrake for them for a long while”, he stated on the Club Prairie Fire show on YouTube.

The Australian player was picked up by the Punjab-based franchise at the 2011 auction, following his IPL triumph as the Deccan Chargers skipper in 2009. However, they couldn’t manage to qualify for the playoffs during his three-year tenure with the team.

Since the IPL’s inception in 2008, Punjab has only reached the final once in 2014. That year, they lost the game by three wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Ricky Ponting Will ‘Settle The Ship’ For Punjab Kings

While discussing the new captain-coach combination of Punjab Kings, Gilly expressed his faith in fellow Aussie Ricky Ponting who previously coached the Delhi Capitals. Alongside skipper Shreyas Iyer, he guided the team to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021. This run included their first-ever final in 2020. Gilchrist believes the coach will now “steady the ship” for Punjab.

“I think the combination of Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer will inspire that franchise. They have worked well together previously and that’s going to be the cohesive gel to bring their ownership together. But I think Ricky will settle the ship”, he said.

Shreyas Iyer To Win Orange Cap in IPL 2025

The legendary Australian player also predicted that the newly appointed captain of the Punjab Kings will be the top run-getter this IPL season. Shreyas Iyer won the IPL 2024 as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Punjab added him to their squad by spending a whopping INR 26.75 crore in the mega-auction.

“Shreyas Iyer is going to be my Orange Cap wearer by the end of it. He is going to bat at number three. He has been talking about it and he is shifting up the order and taking on the leadership role for them”, Gilchrist concluded.

Punjab Kings will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against 2022 champions Gujarat Titans on March 25.

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