PBKS Coach Ricky Ponting makes MASSIVE India T20 remark on Shreyas Iyer after maiden IPL century

Punjab Kings kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a crucial win over Lucknow Super Giants, and head coach Ricky Ponting was full of praise for captain Shreyas Iyer after his match-winning century. While PBKS finally ended their losing streak.

Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten hundred guided Punjab Kings to an important seven-wicket victory and pushed them into the top four heading into the final day of league-stage matches.

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Ricky Ponting praises Shreyas Iyer’s leadership and maturity

Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting said the team had fought hard to stay alive in the playoff race and credited Shreyas Iyer for leading from the front throughout the season.

Ponting admitted PBKS were sloppy in the field again but praised the way the batting unit recovered after early pressure during the chase.

“We’ve done it the hard way, let’s put it that way. We’ve done what we needed to do today. Sloppy in the field again, gave them 20 more runs than they should’ve got. Pretty clinical chase, especially being in trouble early. The captain he’s done that all season. That’s his first IPL century tonight.

“We’ll celebrate that, and then we’ll sit around and wait for those results tomorrow. There’s a reason I spent as much money at the auction as I did a couple of years ago. He’s a ripping guy, a very mature player now, and a very mature leader. More often than not, he keeps his emotions in check on the field. The respect he has from his players is second to none.”

Ponting backs Shreyas Iyer for bigger India T20 role

The former Australia captain also spoke highly about Iyer’s leadership qualities and revealed how much respect the PBKS captain commands inside the dressing room.

Ponting even suggested that Iyer has a bright future in India’s T20 setup as well.

“The moment he stands in front of the group and speaks, not a single eye ball leaves a single word he says. Delighted to work with him. Really happy with the season he’s had. Great to see him back in the Indian one-day team.

“I really think there’s a bigger, brighter future for him in the Indian T20 team as well. The level of cricket we played in the first half was a level I’ve never seen before. And then we just made some crucial errors at different times in the last six games.”

Ricky Ponting praises Prabhsimran Singh after crucial innings

Ponting also reserved special praise for Prabhsimran Singh, who played an aggressive knock and shared a massive partnership with Shreyas Iyer during the chase.

According to the PBKS coach, the youngster has now started understanding his true potential as a batter.

“A terrific player. It’s probably only been the last couple of years that he has realised how good he is. He and Priyansh have been outstanding for us the last couple of seasons. Seeing him play a mature innings tonight in a good run chase will do him a world of good. We’ll try to get the boys together and watch it (the RR-MI game).“

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