Punjab Kings will enter the IPL 2025 auction with the highest purse of money. The team has opted to retain only two uncapped players, Shashank Singh for Rs 5.5 crore and Prabhsimran Singh for Rs 4 crore. This means that Punjab will have a whopping 110.5 crore available to spend in the auction.
This decision comes after the recent appointment of Ricky Ponting as the head coach. It seems that Ponting is keen on starting afresh with a new squad. To achieve this, Punjab has let go of some of their big names, including Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh. With such a massive purse and a fresh approach, Punjab Kings will be one of the teams to watch out for in the IPL 2025 auction.
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Ricky Ponting namedrops Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer while revealing PBKS' strategy for IPL 2025 auction
Ricky Ponting has signed a four-year contract as the head coach of Punjab Kings. The franchise has given him a long rope to turn the team's fortunes around, as they are yet to win an IPL title.
In a recent interview with Sanjana Ganesan for the ICC Review, Ponting expressed his thoughts on the IPL 2025 retentions. He commented on the surprising decision by several franchises to not retain big-name Indian players.
"There are a lot of exciting players. So many. I'm a bit surprised with some of the non-Indian retentions if you like, with both Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant being available in the auctions," Ponting said.
"It was a bit surprising, even KL Rahul to a certain degree. It seems like individuals or franchises are busy looking to move in different directions to some of their players," he further added.
Ponting also discussed Punjab Kings' strategy for the IPL 2025 mega auction. The franchise has opted to retain only two players, signaling a fresh start for the team.
"I'm most excited about a new, fresh start. It starts to come together today, with the retention list. It's well documented as to what I've done with Punjab (Kings). We're only going in with two uncapped players and we're going into the auction with the biggest purse by a long way. So, we've got the ability to put a whole squad of players together," the former Australian captain stated.
Ponting also has an ambitious goal for Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025, i.e to be the most entertaining team in the league. Despite participating in every IPL season since 2008, Punjab Kings are still chasing their first IPL title.
“I’m most excited about a new, fresh start. It starts to come together today, with the retention list. It’s well documented as to what I’ve done with Punjab (Kings),” Ponting concluded.
