New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab pulled off a historic run-chase against Delhi Capitals and head coach Ricky Ponting made it clear that skipper Shriyas Iyer was central to the victory. Punjab showed confidence throughout as they chased a mammoth score of 265 and Iyer calmly led the team home with an unbeaten 71.Ponting did not hesitate to praise his captain and explained why he was pushing hard for Iyer to join the team. “He’s a great guy. That’s why I gave my best in the auction. I know he’s going to be a great leader to help us rebuild this team and rebuild this franchise,” he said.
Punjab got off to a good start thanks to Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, whose aggressive batting set the tone early in the game. Their collaboration gave the team momentum, and Iyer stayed until the end to ensure that momentum was not wasted.Ponting revealed his confidence in Iyer during the chase. “Because one thing I know is if he’s late in the chase, we’re not going to lose too many games. Even tonight, I was out at 11, 12 points. I just grabbed him and said, if you’re late, we’re going to win the game. And he did it again,” he added.Ponting also praised the opening pair, saying: “The partnership between him (Prabhu Simran) and Priyansh has been amazing. They complement each other perfectly. Left hand, right hand. Both hit different parts of the ground.”Despite the record chase, he pointed out areas for improvement. “You get the highest run-ball chase rate, which is satisfying, but in order to get the highest run-ball chase rate, you also have to concede a lot of runs. So, we have some work to do in terms of bowling and fielding,” he said.He also talked about mentoring young players like Prabhu Simran. “At the end of the day, I’m a teacher…Thankfully, he’s listening and getting the job done.”
