Legendary Australian cricketer and new head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS), Ricky Ponting, has revealed the reason why Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal were at the top of his priorities in the IPL 2025 mega auction last year.
Punjab Kings made a big splash at the IPL 2025 auction, as Ricky Ponting was very clear with his vision to build a title-winning squad, as they aim to clinch their maiden title this year. He revealed that Iyer, Arshdeep, and Chahal were the main part of his plans to rebuild the team.
Ricky Ponting aims for IPL glory with Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal
Shreyas Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title last year, became the second-most expensive player in the auction, with PBKS securing him for a record-breaking INR 26.75 crore.
On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal became the most expensive spinner in IPL auction history after PBKS acquired the leg-spinner for INR 18 crore at the mega auction.
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Chahal’s match-winning abilities, particularly on turning tracks, were seen as a key asset for the Punjab team.
Whereas Arshdeep Singh, who recently became India’s leading T20I wicket-taker, was signed up by Punjab Kings after an intense bidding war at the IPL mega auction 2025.
The franchise used their Right to Match (RTM) card to keep the left-arm pacer for INR 18 crore, making Arshdeep the most expensive Indian pacer ever in an IPL auction. Ponting was really impressed by Arshdeep Singh’s consistency and his ability to deliver at any phase of the game.
These three were non-negotiables at the IPL 2025 mega auction: Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting said on ‘The Howie Games’ podcast, “There were three players that I wanted to bring in. One who has been at Punjab Kings for three or four years—Arshdeep Singh. I also wanted to bring in a captain who I have worked with before and who has had a lot of success. So, we went after Shreyas Iyer. I also wanted to bring in Yuzi. So, the Indian guys that we have are perfect.”
He further explained, “And then, we had to make a few tweaks as the auction went on to make sure we ended up with a really good squad. I am trying to make things different and rebuild and have the right people around me. But these three were non-negotiables.”
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It’s going to be really different season this year: Ricky Ponting
The Australian legend emphasized that Punjab Kings will undergo a complete transformation in the upcoming IPL 2025. Notably, PBKS has not yet won the title and finished as the runner-up in the 2014 season.
The PBKS head coach also promised that everything—from the team’s perception and training methods to leadership and on-field performance—will be different from previous seasons.
Ponting signed off by saying, “It’s going to be really different this year with the way that we are perceived, the way we present ourselves, the way that we train, the way that we play, and the way that we are led. Everything is going to be different from the previous years.”
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