Punjab Kings’ march to their first IPL final in more than a decade saw multiple contributors along the way, but at the heart of it was a simple driving force: make two determined, confident individuals who feel like they have a point to prove, to work together, and the results follow. Having been one of the most successful captains in the history of the sport, as someone who hated to lose, Ricky Ponting left Delhi Capitals with a mission unfulfilled. Having worked with Ponting at Delhi Capitals to take the franchise into playoffs, and even to a final, Shreyas Iyer moved to Kolkata Knight Riders where he led the side to the title last year.
But ahead of the mega auction, chose not to retain their championship-winning captain. They made a token attempt to bring back, but dropped the paddle after Rs 10 crore. and went at it, and Ponting’s table was full of smiles as they got their man for Rs 26.75 crore. And on that day in Saudi Arabia, the Shreyas-Ponting partnership restarted, culminating in the final in . In the end though, just as it happened with DC, the combo fell at the final hurdle as ’s long wait came to an end.
It is, however, imperative to recognise the work that the former Aussie captain and one of India’s potential leaders in the future work towards a common goal with a clear vision from the outset. The title didn’t arrive, but for once, Punjab don’t have to look ahead to the future with uncertainty. The next mini auction will actually feel that way for a change… just a mini repair job to be done as the foundation has been laid for this cycle.
And that has been possible because Ponting arrived at the franchise with a clear mandate, a near clean slate and a chance to build from the bottom up. The first piece of the puzzle was Shreyas.
“I’m the head coach and responsible for wins and losses, but once the game starts, the team is handed over to the captain. The coach can do very little once the game starts. It was pretty clear with what we did at the auction by bringing Shreyas to this franchise, it was clear to me and the owners that we wanted the best possible Indian captain. We got our man. He’s been terrific around the group,” Ponting had told
At every step of the way, the coach and captain have spoken about their working relationship. It’s been a case of constant give-and-take. Shreyas had no hesitation in admitting that Ponting takes care of the tactical planning and he is happy to be the guy who executes them on the field. On the flip side, Ponting has credited Shreyas with making key decisions based on his gut feel too, it’s not been a case of just spoon-feeding him.
It was evident early in the season in Ahmedabad against , when PBKS had to make a late decision on Impact Sub. “They need 13-14 runs an over. Sent the message out to Shreyas, asking what do you want to do? He said straight away, just get Vyshak (Vijaykumar) out there. He’ll nail a couple of overs of yorkers.” Vyshak did, kept Sherfane Rutherford quiet, and PBKS closed out a tight match. Another big call later in the tournament was to promote Josh Inglis up the batting order, taking Shreyas’ place at No 3. Ponting said that too was Shreyas’ call in case an early wicket fell.
“I enjoy playing a bit of a role with him as we work really well together,” Ponting told ICC Review before the playoffs. “We talk a lot together about the game and tactics and, I think he said last night ‘that I leave it to Ricky to look after the tactical stuff and pick the players, and then he hands it over to me and I go and execute it out on the field’. And that’s the way we’ve worked this year and it’s been nice to get that sort of working relationship back together again.”
One of the questions that was put to Ponting during The Indian Express Idea Exchange was whether the influence of the coach from the dugout could go as high as we see in football these days. “I don’t think a cricket team coach has the same impact as a football team manager. I like to share my thoughts and ideas with the captain and a few senior players. We don’t necessarily include everyone in all tactical decisions, but the relationship between the captain and coach must be as strong as possible. That’s why I went for Shreyas in the auction,” Ponting had said.
For a team that trusted domestic uncapped talent more than most franchises, the Mumbaikar’s ability to keep things real helped.
“If you spoke to the players individually, I think every single one of them would give Shreyas a great rap because he has spent a lot of time with them,” Ponting said. “He’s pumped them up, he’s given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he’s given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader.”
It also pointed to ’s growth over the years. Ponting almost sees his own swagger from Shreyas when he walks out to bat but in his interaction with The Indian Express earlier this year, Shreyas spoke of a younger version of him who wasn’t high on confidence when he went to play club cricket in England. “I made a few friends there, but my English wasn’t that great. I couldn’t communicate properly. I was low on confidence. And I wanted a way to connect with people and mesmerise them through my actions. I thought magic could be a great icebreaker.”
From there, to being the calming influence for a young dressing room, Shreyas has come a long way. And as he said in one of the post-match chats, the Ponting-Shreyas combo sure ‘dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s’ to take Punjab close. If they stick to their guns, they ought to be challenging next year too.
