After a perfect start of 2/2 wins, led from the front by their new captain Shreyas Iyer, there’s no doubt now that the Punjab Kings played a masterstroke by acquiring the service of Shreyas at the IPL mega auction last November. The INR 26.75 crore they spent on the batter could well prove to be worth every penny. However, there’s still a long way to go, but the team’s new coach Ricky Ponting has full faith in Shreyas, who the Australian calls ‘Rolls Royce‘.
Punjab defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by eight wickets on Monday to build on their 11-run opening win of the season against Gujarat Titans. In both the victories, Shreyas played a key role, scoring 97 not out off 42 balls against Lucknow and a 30-ball 52 not out against Gujarat.
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After the win on Monday, Ponting praised Shreyas for his consistency, comparing his control and finesse on the crease to the luxury car ‘Rolls Royce’.
“Skipper (Iyer) did it easy again. Rolls-Royce just stayed in third gear for most of the day. Didn’t have to go any harder than that. Just steers the ship home. You haven’t got an average yet,” Ponting said about the Punjab skipper, who is yet to be dismissed.
The Australian legend emphasised the importance of sustained dedication from his team members throughout the demanding season that lasts over two months. The final is scheduled for May 25.
“Let’s not take anything for granted with anything we’re doing. Our attitudes have been spot on. We’re just starting to scratch the surface. So let’s keep working hard together as a family, as one. And we’re going to get better every day,” he added.
The Punjab Kings bowlers demonstrated exceptional control from the beginning, which proved instrumental in restricting the hosts. Ponting acknowledged that this disciplined bowling approach was a crucial factor in determining the match’s outcome.
“Bowling first today, Arshdeep’s (Singh) first over goes for three, Lockie (Ferguson) backs it up with an over, goes for four (runs). Two overs in the powerplay 1 for 7. We get through the powerplay, 3 for 35. Four of the overs in power play only went for 13 runs. So in the fifth over, Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) comes on and then on the back of that, Marco (Jansen). So, Marco bowls the sixth over. He absolutely means it. He ended up with the big wicket of David Miller,” Ponting recalled, praising the team’s focus.
“The pleasing thing for me about a lot of the things that are happening around the group, it’s when guys are coming in and playing their first game or getting their first opportunity; Lockie was the same today,” Ponting analysed.
Punjab’s chase was spearheaded by opener Prabhsimran Singh, who deflated the LSG bowlers with a flurry of boundaries and ended up scoring 69 off 34 balls, including 9 fours and 3 sixes. It laid the foundation for Shreyas and Nehal Wadhera (43 not out off 25 balls) to play their natural game and take the team home.
“Prabhsimran, I think you have learned a lot about yourself this week as well. I think you’ve proved to everyone just what a class act you are,” said Ponting, before switching to praising Wadhera’s knock.
“We talk about players making an impact, right? You get an opportunity in a T20 game and it’s all about making an impact on the game and on the contest when you can. He (Wadhera) only packed one shirt in his bag because he didn’t think he was going to be taking much part in the game. He fields the last four overs and then I tap him on the shoulder. When I saw that they’d (LSG) made their impact sub as a left-arm off spinner, I said, ‘mate, you’re going in’.”
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