Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting had high praises for skipper Shreyas Iyer after his blistering 72 helped Punjab Kings chase down Chennai Super Kings’ 190-run target and secure a 4-wicket win. Ponting, who had worked with captain Iyer as coach at Delhi Capitals, where they had led the franchise to the playoffs from 2019 to 2021, and even the final in 2020, said that the former Kolkata Knight Riders man now had a greater understanding of the game.
“He’s a lot more confident in himself now than he was, and that comes with experience. He’s a more mature player now. I think he understands the game and game situations probably better than ever before,” Ponting said.
“He won the last year as a captain, so when you’ve done that and you’ve got that experience behind you and you believe and trust in your own instincts, I think that’s the biggest thing with captaincy, especially in a T20 game when everything around you is happening so fast. You know, fours and sixes are flying everywhere. His ability to stay calm on the field, although he might not have been that calm tonight when we were a couple of overs late getting through the overs, but just his maturity, I think, and that experience,” Ponting added.
Iyer, who guided to their 3rd IPL title last year, was released by the franchise ahead of the IPL auctions and was snapped up by the for a whopping Rs 26.75 crore. He has paid back their faith in spades, scoring 360 runs in 10 matches while also helping reach the 2nd position of the .
“I love working with him, he talks with all the players, all the players love working with him. The way he communicates with them, whether it’s during the game or at practice or back at the team hotel… we’ve managed to create a really good environment that everybody seems to be really happy in,” Ponting said.
