Punjab Kings Hit Reset: Will Ricky Ponting’s Overhaul End IPL Trophy Drought?

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Ponting is likely to go after Pant in the auction. (PC: X.com)

The Team

Punjab Kings have been a part of the IPL since its inception in 2008, yet they remain one of three teams still chasing their first IPL title. Labelling them underachievers wouldn’t be far off, as they consistently assemble strong squads but somehow fall short of claiming the trophy. Last season, they finished ninth in the league table, managing just five wins in 14 matches. This underwhelming performance and failure to reach the playoffs triggered a major overhaul ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.  

The franchise has brought in Ricky Ponting as head coach, who has already implemented several changes to the coaching staff and team. Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh are the only two players retained by Punjab Kings. With the refresh button firmly pressed, the team will be on the hunt to build a formidable squad for the upcoming season.  

Auction Purse and Strategy

Apart from retaining the two aforementioned players, PBKS have released the rest of their squad, heading into the auction with Rs 110 crore in their purse—the highest among all teams. They also have the option of four Right-To-Match cards for the mega auction. Needless to say, they’ll first look for a captain, which they will likely secure after the first two marquee sets are completed. Once the captain is sorted, they can build the squad around him. With Ponting in charge, expect PBKS to target a few Australian players like Mitchell Starc, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Marsh.  

Key Areas to Strengthen  

With only two players retained, both of whom have very limited IPL experience, PBKS will essentially need to build their team from scratch. They can start by finding a captain and then a reliable opener to partner Prabhsimran at the top. Securing top-quality pacers will also be a priority, given how effective pace bowlers were at the Mullanpur stadium last season. Quality seam-bowling all-rounders like Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen are also likely to be on their radar. The franchise will also need to focus on building a strong Indian core for the middle order, similar to what KKR did last season—a key factor in their successful campaign.  

Players They Might Target  

Given the connection between Ponting and Rishabh Pant, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the franchise with the largest purse making a strong push for the former Delhi Capitals skipper. Signing Pant would solve three major issues for PBKS: finding a captain, a reliable batter who can bat at any given position, and a wicketkeeper. If they miss out on Pant, Shreyas Iyer could be a strong alternative, as he too has worked closely with Ponting during his tenure as DC captain.  

Overseas bowlers like Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Anrich Nortje, and Adam Zampa could be key targets. Other exciting overseas options include Glenn Maxwell, Stoinis, Jansen, Fraser-McGurk, and Mitchell Marsh.  Among Indian players, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, and Ishan Kishan are likely to be high on their list, while bowlers such as Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and R Sai Kishore might also attract the franchise.  

Players they would like to buy back

Given Arshdeep Singh’s current form, PBKS will be keen to use an RTM card on him. However, if they fail to bring him back, there are other options like Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, and Nathan Ellis, all of whom have been in great form. Among Indian players, Ashutosh Sharma could certainly be brought back, along with Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar. They have plenty of good players to retain but only four RTM cards available.

With a new coach at the helm, Punjab could potentially emerge as the most formidable unit by the end of November 25. But for that to happen, a lot needs to go right during the two-day auction in Jeddah.

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[[{“value”:”The Team Punjab Kings have been a part of the IPL since its inception in 2008, yet they remain one of three teams still chasing their first IPL title. Labelling…
The post Punjab Kings Hit Reset: Will Ricky Ponting’s Overhaul End IPL Trophy Drought? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports.”}]]