`The camaraderie has been there for past few years…`: Shreyas Iyer on Ponting

In the IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings registered a comfortable win by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

After winning the match, skipper Shreyas Iyer in the post-match presentation thanked head coach Ricky Ponting for giving him the freedom to make decisions on the field. “The camaraderie has been there for the past few years between Ricky and I, he gives me a lot of freedom. He lets me be decisive on the field, all these things have culminated in a great way,” said Iyer.

The Punjab skipper also thanked the support staff and management. “Every individual stepped up at the right time. Starting from game one, we`ve been in the mindset of wanting to win despite the situation. We`ve had players putting their hands up when we were in the dumps. Kudos to support staff and management too”.

“Ricky has been fantastic with player management, it`s important for me to get trust too. That happened with the wins early on. Had conversations with them too. You have to maintain good relationships throughout. I feel the dressing room has been top notch throughout,” added Iyer.

During the IPL 2025 match against Mumbai, PBKS` Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis delivered crucial knocks to lead the side to a seven-wicket win.

Facing just 35 deliveries, Priyansh accumulated 62 runs, including nine boundaries and two maximums. On the other hand, Inglish smashed 73 runs in 42 balls, which was laced with nine boundaries and three maximums.

Speaking about their knocks, Iyer said, “The way Priyansh started was fabulous, young players are fearless. They tick the boxes in the nets, the effects of the prep is now showing on the field. Inglis is the only player whose position has been chopping and changing. Since he loves playing the new ball, I wanted him to play more deliveries. It worked wonders. We know he`s destructive and a big-match player with great attitude”.

With a win over the five-time champions, MI, the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings have claimed the top spot on the IPL 2025 points table. They concluded their group stage matches with nine wins and four defeats. With a net run rate of +0.371, PBKS have 19 points.

(With PTI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day