Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was instrumental in leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL 2025 final, gave an epic reply to Preity Zinta’s question during a candid chat. Ponting also revealed that he is naturally aggressive during matches and asked the Bollywood actress to sit with him in the dugout.
PBKS enjoyed an impressive season under Shreyas Iyer, finishing at the top of the table with 19 points from 14 games. After losing Qualifier 1 to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), PBKS bounced back by defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2. However, they had an off day against RCB in the final.
You Need to Come and Sit Next to Me – Ricky Ponting
In a video shared by Punjab Kings’ official X handle, Preity Zinta asked Ricky Ponting how he stays so calm in the dugout despite being aggressive on the field.
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“How does somebody be so aggressive on the ground and as a person, but be so calm and chilled out?,” the actress asked.
Ricky Ponting surprised her by revealing that he isn’t always calm during matches and invited her to sit with him in the dugout to see his true intensity, explaining that his aggressive nature comes out especially when it’s “cricket time.”
“You need to come and sit next to me in the dugout sometimes, because you will see that it’s not always calm. Look, I’m an aggressive-natured person, especially when it’s cricket time,” the former Australia captain said.
Ponting mentality – Train with passion, roar with aggression 💪🔥
Don’t miss the full video on our YouTube channel and app. 📹 pic.twitter.com/L0EWSmRXGX
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 7, 2025
I’ll Have a Laugh, a Joke, and a Coffee… – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting opened up about his coaching approach, saying he is committed to giving his best and helping players perform at their peak. He added that he won’t waste any time and is always focused on being the best coach he can be while helping every player reach their full potential.
“I’ll have a laugh and a joke and a coffee and a sit down with anyone and talk about anything outside of cricket time. But when it’s cricket time, it’s my job to bring high performance to this team.”
“And so I’m not gonna waste a minute, I’m not gonna waste a day, I’m not gonna waste a training session where I’m not trying to be the best coach that I can be and make every single player that’s playing with me the best player that they can be,” said Ponting.
Shreyas Iyer Guided Punjab Kings to Their First IPL Final in Over a Decade
Shreyas Iyer, who was not retained by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025, took on the captaincy of Punjab Kings and led them to their first IPL final since 2014. This final appearance was only the second in the franchise’s history. They lost to Gautam Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014.
Iyer delivered both on and off the field. He was also the best batsman for Punjab Kings during the 2025 season, finishing as the team’s highest run-scorer.
The 30-year-old amassed 604 runs in 17 innings, at an impressive average of 50.33 and an aggressive strike rate of 175.07. He recorded six half-centuries, with his top score of an unbeaten 97 off just 42 balls against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Also read: Shreyas Iyer sacked, Rohit Sharma named captain of IPL 2025 Team of the Tournament picked by ex-cricketer
