Ricky Ponting's Big Reveal On Shreyas Iyer's Leadership Mantra: "Given Them A Kick..."
Shreyas Iyerwas released by KKR last year despite leading them to the IPL title.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting was all praise for captain Shreyas Iyer, saying that he has all signs of a strong leader. Shreyas  was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year despite leading them to the IPL title. He was picked at the auction by PBKS for Rs 26.75 crore and hasn't looked back since then. Shreyas has led PBKS to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, and also helped them seal a top two finish after guiding them to a win over Mumbai Indians (MI) on Monday.
Ponting opened up on his bond with Shreyas, having worked together at Delhi Capitals (DC), where they had reached the final in 2020.Â
"I was pretty keen to work with him, Iyer, again. It was pretty obvious that how much money I was willing to spend on him at the auction. We had a great working relationship in Delhi, we made a final in Delhi under his captaincy. I've known him as a person and as a player for a long time. He's a quality person, and when you've got quality people around your team when you're trying to make a difference, and you're trying to change culture, that's what you need," Ponting told JioHotstar.
Ponting spoke highly of Shreyas' leadership qualities, saying he was adamant to work with the former KKR and DC captain again and that is why PBKS broke the bank for him.
"If you spoke to the players individually, I think every single one of them would give Shreyas a great rap because he has spent a lot of time with them. He's pumped them up, he's given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he's given them a kick in the pants when they've needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader," he added.
A top two finish for PBKS means they will now face either Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Gujarat Titans on Thursday, May 29, in Qualifier 1.
RCB face LSG in the final league game of IPL 2025 on Tuesday, and if they win the match, they'll be facing PBKS.
Punjab Kings