Punjab Kings won't win IPL trophy: Ex-cricketer's explosive prediction after Ricky Ponting's shocker

Former India National Cricket Team player Manoj Tiwary took a brutal dig at Ricky Ponting for the Punjab Kings' batting order in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. He said that the Shreyas Iyer-led side won't be winning the league because the coach trusted his Australian players rather than in-form Indian players.

Punjab Kings had a terrific outing with the bat in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. The 44th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 took place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday (26th April), which got washed off after one innings.

Punjab Kings posted a total of 201 runs

Punjab Kings opted to bat and they were off to a dream start with the bat. Priyansh Arya (69) and Prabhsimran Singh (83) slammed brilliant half-centuries and put pressure on the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers. They hardly put a foot wrong and hit bowlers all over the park.

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The duo added 120 runs for the opening partnership before Priyansh Arya got out. Skipper Shreyas Iyer (25*) walked out at three, and after that, the strategy by the Punjab Kings amazed many. With just a few overs left, coach Ricky Ponting sent out batters Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis, who failed to shine.

It was expected that Ricky Ponting would send Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, but that wasn't the case. And, as a result of that, Punjab Kings failed to finish on high. They posted a total of 201 runs, which wasn't expected as they were all set for a total of around 220.

The coach didn’t send Indian to inform batters - Manoj Tiwary on Ricky Ponting

Manoj Tiwary pointed out how Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting did the Australian favoritism. He said that the coach showed a lack of confidence in Indian players down the order, and if that continues, the franchise won't be able to win. Taking to his Twitter account, he said:

"My gut feeling says that the Punjab team will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season because what I saw today when they were batting was, the coach didn’t send Indian to inform batters Nehal Wadera and Shashank singh, instead he trusted his foreign players to deliver, but they cudnt and clearly showed lack of confidence in Indian players down the order.

"If he persists in this way, then the title is far from them irrespective of their qualification in the top two."

My gut feeling says that punjab team will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season because what I saw today when they were batting was, the coach didn’t send Indian inform batters Nehal wadera and Shasank singh, instead he trusted his foreign players to deliver, but they…

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) April 26, 2025

Ricky Ponting sir is helping me - Priyansh Arya

Priyansh Arya talked about his innings and said that inputs from Ricky Ponting are helping him. He said that the coach is positive and asks them to be aggressive. He said:

"I think it's a good total as the wicket is on the slower side. Ricky sir advised us (openers) to rotate the strike after the powerplay and take it deep. I enjoy batting with Prabhsimran, he gives good advice.

"Tells me when to advance down the track. I know I have the ability and working with (Ricky) Ponting sir is helping me, he is always positive and asks us to be aggressive."

Also Read: Watch: Prabhsimran Singh's audacious switch-hit six off Sunil Narine wows Preity Zinta