Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting
Australian great Ricky Ponting was on Wednesday appointed as the head coach of Punjab Kings, replacing compatriot Trevor Bayliss at the underperforming IPL franchise.
The former Australian captain moved from Delhi Capitals to Punjab Kings, where he was a member for seven years.
An IPL source added that Ponting will make a decision on the rest of the support staff.
Under Ponting, Delhi Capitals became a force to be reckoned with, though the elusive title never came. The team reached the final in 2020. He also coached Mumbai Indians.
Punjab have also failed to win the IPL since the league’s inception in 2008 and the four co-owners will be hoping the World Cup-winning captain will take them all the way.
Punjab’s only appearance in a final was in 2014 and they are a team that is often criticised for its constant changes. They have failed to finish even in the top five in the last seven editions and finished ninth out of ten teams earlier this year.
In a team statement, Ponting promised a different style of play in the future.
“I’m excited to take on this new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and management about the way forward and was really happy to see the alignment of our visions for the team.
“We all want to reward the fans who stuck with the franchise all these years and we promise them that they will see a very different Punjab Kings in the future,” he said.
Bayliss was in charge of the team for the last two seasons with Shikhar Dhawan, now retired, as their captain.
Sanjay Bangar was the head of cricket development, Charles Langveldt was the fast bowling coach and Sunil Joshi looked after the bowlers.
Before Bayliss, Anil Kumble coached the Punjab Kings, but success eluded them.
Punjab have had a strong core that includes Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow, but the results have not come.
Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, who had not played for the international team, were the standout performers for Punjab Kings in an otherwise forgettable season this year.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 19, 2024 | 8:07 am IS
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