"We Turned Ugly Day Into A Positive One": Punjab Kings Coach Ricky Ponting On Win Over SRH
Despite a harrowing start where the bowlers conceded over 100 runs in the first eight overs, PBKS staged a massive recovery to restrict SRH to 219/6 before completing the chase in an emphatic fashion with six wickets to spare.
Punjab Kings, the runners up of 18th season of IPL continued their consolidation process on the top half of the table with a commanding six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in New Chandigarh on Saturday. It was a high scoring chase that was completed with seven balls to spare, .a win that also reinforced their credentials as early contenders. Even though SRH stormed to 111 in the powerplay Punjab flipped the script with a crucial tactical move from captain Shreyas Iyer.Â
The introduction of Shashank Singh broke the momentum instantly, with both openers dismissed in the same over.
Head coach Ricky Ponting summed up the turnaround in blunt terms. "We turned what looked like being an ugly day into a really positive one," he said, praising the team's ability to "fight and fight and fight" their way back into the contest.
"A really brave decision from the skipper to bring Shashank into the attack, take the pace off the ball, and try and take some air out of it. [To the bowlers] I can hardly find a fault in anything we did for the rest of the game. That is some serious fightback," said Punter
Restricting SRH to 219/6 after the early damage proved decisive.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh launched a brutal counterattack, hammering 93 runs in the powerplay to rip the chase wide open. Both brought up half-centuries in a fearless opening stand that left SRH chasing the game.
Ponting highlighted the clarity in the openers' approach. "Seeing Prabh and Priyansh go out and take the game on the way that they do feels so great. They do it with so much class. Looking at the matchups, Priyansh taking the first ball today-a left-arm off-spinner-is exactly the match-up he wants. On the other hand, Prabh taking on Unadkat with the new ball in the second over... we got 93 at the end of the powerplay. It was an unbelievable opening partnership," said the former Australian Captain
From there, Iyer shut the door with an unbeaten 69 off 33, anchoring the innings with authority.
Three wins in four games now put Punjab firmly in the top tier, but the messaging inside the camp remains crisp. Ponting has already called for sharper execution despite the momentum.
The challenge gets bigger from here. Punjab Kings next face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 16 - a clash that could test this resilience to remain in top 2.
Punjab Kings
Sunrisers Hyderabad