IPL 2026: PBKS head coach Ponting admits to ‘running out of appreciation’ for his batters' brilliance

Mumbai, April 17 Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Ricky Ponting has admitted he is ‘running out of appreciation’ for his side’s brilliant batting performance, which led them to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium.

Wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh slammed an unbeaten 80 off just 39 balls as PBKS chased down MI’s 195/6 in 16.3 overs. “The batting, I’m now starting to run out of appreciation for what we’re doing, but oh dear, we’re batting well.

“Prabh, I need to praise you because you didn’t get a lot of strike during the Powerplay. Most of your hard work had to be done outside of it, but you were so skilful, so calm, and so calculating. You're batting as well as I've ever seen you bat,” Ponting said in the post-match ‘Dressing Room Diaries’.

He also credited the bowling unit for clawing back momentum after MI looked set to post a massive total. “Well done to the bowling group. The ability to claw it back was key. It felt like they might get a few more than 200, but Shanky’s (Shashank) couple of overs changed the momentum again,” he noted.

Fast bowling coach James Hopes singled out Arshdeep Singh’s opening spell as a tone-setter. “We talk about people setting the tone; the way Arsh set the tone in the first over, swung the ball around, and put them on the back foot was exceptional. Arsh, I know you’ve been going through what you consider a rough patch, but the rest of us don’t think so.

“The work you put in over the last couple of days to be able to do this straight away tonight was the reward. To be on the mark from the first ball, get two early wickets, and then come back at the end to do what you normally do... It’s a credit to your work,” he added.

PBKS now lead the IPL 2026 table with four wins and nine points. The Shreyas Iyer-led side will next face Lucknow Super Giants in New Chandigarh on Sunday, and Ponting reminded his squad to stay focused. “We should be proud of where we are right now, but that doesn't mean we don't go to bed tonight thinking about how we can get better again tomorrow.”

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