Hunger To Win IPL For Punjab Kings Burning More Than Ever Now in Iyer’s Eyes

Mullanpur: Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting said on Monday that the hunger to win the Indian Premier League trophy burns more than ever for Shreyas Iyer as he looks to do better in the 2026 season.

PBKS, led by Iyer, who joined the team as captain last year, topped the points table in the group stage and qualified for the final, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“His level of play with the bat last year was probably as good as it was in the IPL and I can see the hunger in his eyes is probably burning more than ever before,” Ponting told reporters here.

“Having come so close to captaining a new team last year, I am sure he is very keen to go one better this year,” the head coach said on the eve of their season opener against Gujarat Titans.

Looking back on their successful partnership for another franchise in the IPL, Ponting, who had previously worked for Delhi Capitals, said they both felt the same way.

“We have worked a lot together now. We must have spent maybe four or five years together in Delhi. When I got this assignment and realized that Shreyas was going to enter the mega auction, I made sure I had enough money in my purse to buy it at the auction,” Ponting said.

“I really wanted to work with Shreyas again (and) things moved so quickly for us last year.”

“We both have very similar ideas and mantras about the game. It’s not uncommon for us to walk towards each other with a thought in mind, we come together and it’s exactly the same thing we’ll be thinking about,” added Ponting.

Ponting said the addition of Australian Cooper Connolly to Punjab Kings has given the team much more flexibility compared to last year.

“Having someone like Cooper Connolly come into the team gives us top-level and mid-level flexibility as a left-hander,” Ponting said.

“Last year we had Priyansh (Arya) at the top and (Nehal) Wadhera in the middle. Someone like Cooper Connolly gives us a bit more flexibility in terms of left-hand, right-hand batting order if we decide to go that way.”

The former Australian captain said that Punjab Kings’ success in the last season does not mean going into the new season.

“Our level of cricket last year was good enough for us to finish at the top of the table, but that doesn’t mean we’re going into the new season,” Ponting said.

“I talked a lot about how this team we put together last year was different and (played) a really bold style and brand of cricket and we need to start that again. It’s zero for everyone now,” he said.