After narrowly missing out on the title last year, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting set the tone for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by urging his players to embrace mistakes while staying committed to the team’s process.
India, chasing a second successive appearance in the final, face England on Thursday at the Wankhede, a ground where Abhishek has previously produced one of his most explosive knocks.
Ponting assessed Australia’s premature exit from the ongoing tournament and also looked ahead to how the side could shape up for the next edition in 2028.
Ponting, who coached Abhishek during his early IPL days at Delhi Capitals, revealed that he had strongly urged the franchise to retain the left-hander back in 2018, convinced of his long-term potential.
Ponting, who led Australia to World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, also backed his former side to make a deep run in the tournament beginning February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Maxwell struggled for form in the BBL, managing just 76 runs at an average of 15.20 and picking up only two wickets for the Melbourne Stars, while also enduring a tough time in the field.
Yadav has endured a lean run with the bat, managing just 218 runs across 19 innings in 2025 at a strike rate of 123.16—well below the standards he has set in the shortest format.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting admitted that, despite Green’s growing experience at the highest level, assessing his overall impact in Test cricket remains a challenge.
Ponting, who has worked closely with Pant in the Indian Premier League (IPL), conceded that it is never easy to be a stopgap captain but has backed the Indian keeper-batter to handle it in the longest format.
“I feel that Australia's best team has Jake Weatherald opening the batting along with (Usman) Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne at three,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
