New Delhi

Ricky Ponting has been appointed as the new head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the IPL 2025 season. This comes two months after he left Delhi Capitals, where he served as head coach for seven years. Ponting has signed a multi-year contract with Punjab Kings and will have a key role in shaping the coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Decisions are yet to be made on the future of last season’s coaches, including Trevor Bayliss, Sanjay Bangar, Charl Langeveldt, and Sunil Joshi. Ponting will be the third head coach for Punjab Kings in four years. The team finished ninth in the 2024 season and has not reached the playoffs since 2014. One of his early tasks will be selecting players to retain, once IPL retention rules are finalized.

Key players from last season included Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Rahul Chahar. The team also features overseas players like Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, and Kagiso Rabada. With Shikhar Dhawan’s recent retirement, Ponting will need to assist in selecting a new captain for the team.

Ponting’s IPL career began as a player with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008, and he later coached Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. Most recently, he led Washington Freedom to a title win.