IPL 2025: How Ponting-Iyer duo are serving to Punjab Kings flip a nook

When was it final time that Punjab Kings was perched in second place of the IPL desk with 5 wins in first seven matches? Tough to recollect because the 2014 runners-up, their greatest end to this point, had been perennial underachievers since then – typically flattering solely to deceive within the businessend of  the competitors.

Nevertheless, 4 weeks into the competitors, the indicators are fairly encouraging this time as they romped residence towards Royal Challengers Bangalore in a rain-curtailed sport on Friday to be poised at 10 factors. It’s normally a provided that any crew wants a minimal of eight wins (16 factors) to be within the working for a play-off spot and the way through which Punjab Kings are displaying indicators of gelling as a crew after some time, their administration and followers might be cautiously optimistic of constructing the primary reduce.

What’s it that the crew is doing in another way, beneath Shreyas Iyer’s sensible captaincy and head coach Ricky Ponting, this 12 months? There had been no dearth of huge names as captains, coaches or gamers on the rolls for Punjab Kings over time – with them rebranding themselves from Kings XI Punjab some years again nevertheless it didn’t carry a couple of change of luck. Nevertheless, what the administration sorely lacked was endurance and religion in virtues of continuity – the appointment of Ponting signalling their sixth coach in seven years.