Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has his plans ready for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). He has vowed for Punjab Kings (PBKS) massive transformation before the IPL 2025 season which is set to start from March 21. In a recent appearance on The Howie Games podcast, the former Australian World Cup-winning captain discussed his plans for the team, including his squad-building philosophy and his vision for success. Ponting made it clear that the Punjab Kings will be completely revamped, with changes affecting everything from their style of play to their leadership
"It's going to be really different this year with the way that we are perceived, the way we present ourselves, the way that we train, the way that we play, and the way that we are led. Everything is going to be different from the previous years," Ponting stated.
PBKS have built a strong squad for the upcoming IPL season, with Shreyas Iyer at the helm as captain. Key additions to the team include veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and retained young pace bowler Arshdeep Singh. Ponting has now revealed the name of three players which he wanted at any cost during IPL 2025 mega auction as the acquisition of these three players was central to his strategy for rebuilding the team.
"There were three players that I wanted to bring in. One who has been at Punjab Kings for three or four years-Arshdeep Singh. I also wanted to bring in a captain who I have worked with before and who has had a lot of success. So, we went after Shreyas Iyer. I also wanted to bring in Yuzi. So the Indian guys that we have are perfect," Ponting further added.
With these crucial Indian players secured, Ricky Ponting and the Punjab Kings management continued to refine the squad during the auction, making further strategic additions. Ponting emphasized his belief that a solid core of Indian talent is fundamental to success in the IPL. While acknowledging the value and excitement that international stars bring, he stressed that prioritizing and acquiring top Indian players was his main objective.
"And then, we had to make a few tweaks as the auction went on to make sure we ended up with a really good squad. I am trying to make things different and rebuild and have the right people around me. But these three were non-negotiables," Australia legend said.
"It's not so much about the overseas guys. The overseas guys create a lot of hype, and they go for a lot of money or whatever. But as far as I am concerned, I needed to bring the right Indian players back into the tent," Ponting concluded.
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).