Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer set the tone for the season, reaffirming their ambition to claim the coveted title ahead of the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting on March 22.
The goal is to win the trophy, that’s our mindset right now. It’s a step-by-step process, but the way we’re practising and sharing our wavelength and camaraderie, it’s going really well.
Iyer at the team's season launch press conference declared
Ponting echoed the confidence, praising the team’s balance and leadership. “We have had a really good mix of youth and experience. We have high-quality Indian players and some top overseas names as well. I could not have been happier,” he said.
He's a great human being. He is an IPL-winning captain. We could not have asked for more.
The two-time World Cup-winning skipper also lauded Iyer’s leadership, stating
Iyer, in turn, highlighted the impact of working with Ponting again. “The confidence he gives a player is on a different level. When I first worked with him, he made me feel like I could easily excel in this format,” he shared.
Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon added to the optimism, underlining the squad’s fearless mindset.
The youngsters in our squad are fearless. We have a great coach in Ponting and a great IPL-winning captain in Iyer. I don’t think you can get bigger than that.
Menon said
Punjab Kings will kick off their IPL 18 campaign on March 25 against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad before returning to their home ground, the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, for back-to-back clashes against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.
