IPL 2026: ‘Our young Indian talent is pretty special’ - Ricky Ponting praises PBKS uncapped stars
PBKS are leading the points table with two wins from two games.
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Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting shared his thoughts on the team’s strong core of uncapped players following their recent win. Players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Vijaykumar Vyshak were part of the playing XI against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, April 3.
PBKS secured their second win of the Indian Premier League 2026 season with a convincing five-wicket victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Following the win, Ponting praised the contribution of the uncapped players, calling them special to the team and highlighting their growing importance in the squad.
"Some of our young Indian talent, the guys at the top of the order, are pretty special. To build some of those Aussie guys around them, we had a really clear strategy going into the auction last year about trying to rebuild this whole team from the bottom up, and change and be different as a franchise. By just keeping Prabhsimran and Shashank, it gave us an opportunity for me to pick the guys that I wanted to work with," said Ponting on JioHotstar.
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CSK posted a competitive total of 210 runs, but PBKS chased it down comfortably with eight balls to spare. CSK’s innings was anchored by Ayush Mhatre, who played a brilliant knock of 73 runs. Shivam Dube contributed with an unbeaten 45, while Sarfaraz Khan provided late momentum with a quickfire 32 off just 12 deliveries.
In response, PBKS put in a strong batting performance. Shreyas Iyer led the chase with a well-crafted half-century, supported by valuable contributions from Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, helping their side secure an impressive victory.
"The toss went our way again, and we were really keen to chase on that pitch. It looked like a belter of a wicket with a little bit of grass on it, something that we're not used to seeing in Chennai," said Ponting.
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PBKS are set to take on KKR in their next match on Monday, April 6 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. PBKS are currently at the top of the points table, having won both of their matches so far, and will look to continue their winning momentum.
"We're happy, but you can't afford to be too happy in a tournament like this. We've got a game in a couple of days at Eden Gardens, and that's going to be a high-scoring game,” said Ponting.
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