India's spin legend Harbhajan Singh revealed an interesting interaction with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the first day of the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. Before the national anthems, the two cricket legends were tasked with placing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the center of the Adelaide Oval. During this time, Harbhajan inquired about the composition of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) squad following the recent IPL 2025 mega auction.
Despite hailing from Punjab and representing the state in domestic cricket, Harbhajan never had the opportunity to play for the Punjab franchise in the IPL. His IPL career involved stints with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians.
Ponting, who was recently appointed as the head coach of Punjab Kings, was actively involved in the IPL 2025 mega auction, where the franchise had the largest purse to spend.
"Aaj baat yeh hui ki Punjab ki team kaise banayi hai, maine to yeh pucha. Puraane cheezo ke upar toh baat hui nahi. (Today, I asked him how is the PBKS team looking. We did not speak about the old days)," Harbhajan said while commentating on Day 1 of the second Test between India and Australia.
"He (Ponting) said, 'Mate, you're looking fitter than ever.' So, I told him that I am trying to stay fit and step out on the ground again, even though if it is with the mic," Harbhajan added.
Punjab Kings made some big acquisitions at the IPL 2025 auction, splashing out a massive Rs 26.75 crore to secure the services of Shreyas Iyer. With Shikhar Dhawan's absence, Iyer is expected to lead the franchise in the upcoming season.
Punjab also bolstered their squad by buying Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh for Rs 18 crore each, as well as Marcus Stoinis for a substantial Rs 11 crore. Glenn Maxwell, a former team member, returned to the fold after a bidding war with Chennai Super Kings, being bought for Rs 4.2 crore. Moreover, PBKS secured the services of promising young talent Azmatullah Omarzai for Rs 2.4 crore, among other players.
PBKS' full squad for IPL 2025:
Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh (Rs. 18 crore), Shreyas Iyer (Rs. 26.75 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (Rs. 18 crore), Marcus Stoinis (Rs. 11 crore), Glenn Maxwell (Rs. 4.20 crore), Nehal Wadhera (Rs. 4.20 crore), Harpreet Brar (Rs. 1.50 crore), Vishnu Vinod (Rs. 95 lakh), Vijaykumar Vyshak (Rs. 1.80 crore), Yash Thakur (Rs. 1.60 crore), Marco Jansen (Rs. 7 crore), Josh Inglis (Rs. 2.60 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs. 2 crore), Azmatullah Omarzai (Rs. 2.40 crore), Harnoor Pannu (Rs. 30 lakh), Kuldeep Sen (Rs. 80 lakh), Priyansh Arya (Rs. 3.80 crore), Aaron Hardie (Rs. 1.25 crore), Musheer Khan (Rs. 30 lakh), Suryansh Shedge (Rs. 30 lakh), Xavier Bartlett (Rs. 80 lakh), Pyla Avinash (Rs. 30 lakh), Pravin Dubey (Rs. 30 lakh).