‘He’ll be a great leader…..’, says Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting on THIS star player

New Delhi: Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), November 24, 2024: Punjab Kings (PBKS) kicked off their TATA IPL 2025 Player Auction with strong acquisitions, securing left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, Indian batter Shreyas Iyer, and spin maestro Yuzvendra Chahal for the upcoming season.

PBKS exercised the Right to Match card for Arshdeep Singh, securing him for ₹18 crore, ensuring his return to the team. Shreyas Iyer was acquired for ₹26.75 crore, while Yuzvendra Chahal was bought for ₹18 crore. Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was signed for ₹11 crore, and his compatriot Glenn Maxwell made a return to PBKS for ₹4.20 crore.

Shreyas Iyer is coming off a successful season, having led his team to an IPL victory as captain. With 3,127 runs in his IPL career, Iyer has also guided his team to multiple IPL finals.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Punjab Kings family and eagerly look forward to starting the season,” Iyer said, sharing his excitement ahead of the new campaign.

New head coach Ricky Ponting shared his thoughts on signing Shreyas Iyer, aiming to build a strong team while giving opportunities to young players. He said, “We knew Shreyas, Pant, and KL Rahul would attract big bids. I’ve worked with Shreyas before, and he’s a great guy and player. He’ll make an excellent leader for us if we decide to go that route, which I’m sure we will. Plus, he was the championship-winning captain last year, so bringing him to Punjab is a great move.”

Arshdeep has always played for Punjab since his IPL debut in 2019 and is thrilled to return to the team. “I am very happy to be back in Punjab. I hope we win the trophy this year,” he said. In his five years in the IPL, Arsh has taken 76 wickets at an economy rate of 9.03 for the Kings. He was also part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in 2024, where he took 17 wickets in 8 games, tying as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Reflecting on re-signing Arshdeep, Ponting shared, “We had specific targets going into the auction, as every team does, and Arshdeep was clearly our top priority. He’s been with our franchise for several years, and I was eager to bring him back. As a left-arm fast bowler with great skills both with the new and old ball, plus being one of India’s top wicket-takers in T20 cricket, he’s a perfect fit for Punjab Kings.”

Chahal, who has been part of the IPL since 2013, has taken 205 wickets at an economy rate of 7.84. He also made history in 2017 as the first Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in T20Is, recording remarkable figures of 6/25.

Chahal shared his excitement about joining Shreyas and Arshdeep in the Punjab Kings squad, saying on Jio Cinema, “I share a great bond with Shreyas and Arshdeep, and I’m excited to play alongside them. I’m also looking forward to learning a lot from Ricky Ponting. Let’s focus on winning the trophy. Go Punjab!”

Ponting shared his reason behind selecting Yuzvendra Chahal and his thoughts on Punjab’s auction strategy, saying, “Yuzi is the top-quality Indian spinner available, and we aimed to fill key gaps with the best talent possible. We did spend a fair amount, but rebuilding the franchise from the ground up requires having the best players. So far, the auction has gone as planned. We still have some work to do in the afternoon, but that’s the exciting part of it.”

He continued, “The key to these auctions is staying flexible and adapting as they progress. We came in with specific targets, and so far, we’ve secured three of them. There are still a few more players we aim to add to our squad later in the auction. That’s the real challenge of the IPL auction.”