New Delhi. Former Australian great batsman and captain Ricky Ponting was appointed the head coach of Punjab Kings on Wednesday. He will replace his compatriot Trevor Bayliss in this IPL team. Ponting has joined Punjab Kings after being a part of Delhi Capitals for seven years.
Franchise CEO Satish Menon said, “We are very happy to have Ricky join us to guide and prepare our team for the next four seasons. His experience is important to help build a team that achieves success on the field.” An IPL source said that Ponting will decide on the rest of the team’s support staff. Under Ponting’s guidance, Delhi Capitals performed effectively but could not win the IPL title. The team also reached the final in 2020 during this period. He has also previously coached Mumbai Indians.
Punjab’s team has also not won the IPL title since the league’s inception in 2008 and the team’s four co-owners will hope that Ponting will fill this gap. Punjab’s team reached the final in 2014 and has been facing criticism for constantly changing the team. The team has failed to make it to the top five in the last seven seasons and finished ninth among 10 teams in the last season this year. Ponting promised to adopt a different style of play in the future in the team’s statement.
Ponting said, “I am excited to take on a new challenge. I had a very good conversation with the owners and management on the plans ahead and am excited to see our common vision for the team.” He said, “We promise that the fans will see a very different Punjab Kings going forward.” Bellis was the coach of the team in the last two seasons while now retired Shikhar Dhawan played the role of captain. Sanjay Bangar was the head of cricket development of the team while Charles Langeveldt and Sunil Joshi were playing the role of fast bowling and spin coach respectively.