Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has signed a multi-year deal with Punjab Kings as their head coach in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise confirmed the news via their social media accounts.
“I am grateful to Punjab Kings for presenting me with the opportunity to be the new Head Coach. I am excited to take up the new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and the management about the way forward and was truly elated to see the alignment of our visions for the team. We all want to repay the fans who have stayed with the franchise over the years and we promise that they will see a much different Punjab Kings going forward,” said Ponting in an official release.
Ponting had a seven-year stint with Delhi Capitals, starting in 2018, before stepping down earlier this year following a period of mixed results. During his tenure, the Capitals made the Playoffs in 2019, 2020, and 2021, with their highlight being a runner-up finish in 2020, marking the team’s first-ever appearance in an IPL final.
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Support Staff to be Finalised by Ponting
Reports suggest that Ponting will also take a call on the support staff. Last year, apart from Bayliss, PBKS’ support staff included Sanjay Bangar (head of cricket development), Charl Langveldt (fast-bowling coach), and Sunil Joshi (spin-bowling coach).
Bayliss was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders coaching set-up which under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir managed to win the title in 2012 and 2014. However, he has not been able to replicate any form of success within the Punjab setup.
PBKS on the lookout for New Captain
The franchise will also be looking to appoint a new captain after Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement earlier this year. While Sam Curran led PBKS for a few games in the previous season, with the mega auctions coming up, Ponting’s first priority will be to zero down on the players the franchise would like to retain ahead of the Auction.
In July of this year, Delhi Capitals confirmed the exit of Ponting. The 49-year-old has been part of the franchise as head coach since the 2018 season and helped them reach the final in 2020. However, in the past three seasons, Delhi Capitals failed to qualify for the playoffs and finished 5th, 9th and 6th respectively.
Before joining the Delhi Capitals in the 2018 season, Ponting had served as Mumbai Indians head coach in the cash-rich league and helped them win in the 2015 edition of the world’s richest franchise cricket league under Rohit Sharma’s leadership.
Ponting has played for KKR in the IPL and can be an able replacement for Gautam Gambhir, who has left his role as mentor to become the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.
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