Ricky Ponting reveals "Project Punjab" as reason behind joining Punjab Kings as head coach

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has revealed the reason behind joining as head coach of the Punjab Kings for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Ricky Ponting also confirmed that he had been approached by a few other Indian Premier League franchises for coaching ahead of the mega auction.

On Wednesday, September 18, Ponting was appointed as the head coach of the Punjab Kings team for the IPL 2025 season. According to ESPNcricinfo, the former Australia skipper has joined the franchise on a four-year contract. Ponting replaced Trevor Bayliss as head coach of the Mohali-based franchise.

The former cricketer has a rich history with the Indian Premier League, having played for the Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians. Ponting also worked with the Mumbai Indians as an advisor in 2014 and later as head coach during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Mumbai Indians won the title in 2015.

I Was Talking To A Few Teams - Ricky Ponting

In a conversation with ESPNCricinfo, Ricky Ponting revealed that he received offers from multiple franchises before choosing to become the head coach of the Punjab Kings. Ponting said that he was attracted to join Punjab as the team has struggled with consistency and success over the years.

"Yes, I was talking to a few teams, but it was "Project Punjab" which attracted me. It is a team that hasn't had a lot of success over a long period of time, a team that's changed coaches a lot, so I saw it as a challenge," Ponting told ESPNCricinfo.

Ponting joined the Delhi Capitals after his time with the Mumbai Indians. The team finished last in the table in his first season as head coach in 2018. However, he led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Delhi-based franchise reached its first IPL final in 2020, where they lost to Mumbai.

I Saw Some Really Exciting Players - Ricky Ponting

The 49-year-old said that he is excited to work with promising youngsters at the Punjab Kings. Ponting aims to build a strong team capable of winning the IPL. He acknowledged that the Kings have yet to secure a championship and is hopeful that he can help lead the franchise to success.

"The other exciting part is that I saw some really exciting youngsters last year at Kings that hopefully we can attract back to the team for this season and put together a team that is going to be good enough to win the IPL," Ricky Ponting stated.

"I mean, there's no doubting over the years that the Kings have had good players, have had good teams. They just haven't been able to win it yet. I have a longish-term deal there, and hopefully during that period of time we can win the IPL."

Ponting will be the third head coach of the Punjab Kings in four seasons, following the team's disappointing ninth-place finish in the IPL 2024 points table. The franchise has not qualified for the IPL playoffs since 2014.

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