Head Coach of Punjab Kings Ricky Ponting Appreciated the captain. Shreyas Iyer The PBKS skipper kept the franchise alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race after scoring a sensational unbeaten century. Punjab ended their six-match losing streak with an emphatic seven-wicket win over Lucknow Supergiants on Saturday, chasing 197 in just 18 overs. Shreyas led the charge with a brilliant 51-ball 101 not out, registering his maiden IPL century, while Prabhasmaran Singh made 69 off 39 balls in a match-winning 140-run partnership for the third wicket. Reflecting on the win, Ponting acknowledged that Punjab had endured a tough road in recent weeks but credited the team for responding under pressure. “We’ve done it the hard way, let’s put it that way. We’ve done what we needed to do today. Again sloppy in the field, giving them 20 more runs than they should have got. Pretty clinical chasing, especially getting into trouble early,” Ponting said after the match. The former Australia captain reserved special praise for Shreyas, explaining why Punjab invested heavily in him at the auction and praising both his leadership and temperament. “Captain, he has done it all season. Tonight is his first IPL century. We will celebrate it and then we will sit and wait for the results tomorrow,” he said. “There’s a reason I spent as much money at the auction as I did a few years ago (on Ayer). He’s a rip-roaring guy, a very savvy player now, a very savvy leader. Often out of control on the field. The respect he gets from his players is second to none.” Ponting also highlighted Shreyas’ influence within the dressing room, saying that the PBKS players completely buy into their captain’s leadership. Ponting added, “The moment he stands in front of the group and speaks, not a single eyeball misses a word he says. It was a pleasure to work with him.” The PBKS coach also backed Shreyas for a bigger role in India’s white-ball setup in the future. “It’s great to see him back in the Indian ODI team. I really think he has a big and bright future in the Indian T20 team as well.” Punjab’s win lifted them to fourth place with 15 points from 14 matches, although their play-off hopes still depend on results elsewhere. Rajasthan Royals The face Mumbai Indians on Sunday, and PBKS need to beat Rajasthan to stay in the top four. Ponting admitted that Punjab’s campaign suffered in the first half of the season after a dramatic dip in form. “The level of cricket we played in the first half was a level I have never seen before. And then we made some crucial mistakes at different times in the last six games,” he said. The Australian great also praised Prabhasmaran Singh for continuing his impressive season and credited the young opener’s growing confidence. “A very good player. It’s probably only in the last few years that he’s realized how good he is. He and Priyansh have been brilliant for us in the last two seasons. To see him play a solid innings tonight in pursuit of good runs will do him the world of good,” Ponting said. With Punjab’s fate now dependent on Sunday’s results, Ponting revealed that the squad will be watching the remaining play-off-deciding fixtures closely. “We’ll try to get the boys together and see it (the RR-MI game),” he concluded.
