Ponting praises PBKS “never-say-die” spirit as they turn a horror start into a win over SRH
New Chandigarh — it started like a disaster.
PBKS’s bowlers conceded over 100 runs in the first eight overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and for a moment it looked like the game had slipped away. Then the mood shifted. Fast.
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting didn’t dress it up in the ‘Dressing Room Diaries’ episode with the franchise. He straight-up praised his squad’s “never-say-die” attitude, saying they converted what appeared to be a disastrous outing into a meaningful victory over SRH. “What we talk about around this team all the time is how hard we are going to be to beat. When we’re behind, we’re going to find a way to fight and fight and fight until we get ourselves back into the game. We turned what looked like being an ugly day into a really positive one,” Ponting said.
Still, the timing raises questions — because the turnaround didn’t happen by accident. Ponting singled out captain Shreyas Iyer’s tactical gamble: bringing part-timer Shashank Singh into the attack. “A really brave decision from the skipper to bring Shashank into the attack, take the pace off the ball, and try and take some air out of it. (To the bowlers) I can hardly find a fault in anything we did for the rest of the game. That is some serious fightback,” Ponting observed.
The swing, as Ponting described it, lined up with how PBKS controlled the chase. After that shaky early phase, PBKS tightened the screws to restrict SRH to 219/6. And in the end, PBKS finished the chase in emphatic style, winning with six wickets to spare.
But the foundation was laid earlier — and Ponting credits the power-play for giving the chase a platform. PBKS scored a 93-run power-play, and the coach was especially pleased with the opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. He praised their fearless approach against the new ball. “Seeing Prabh and Priyansh go out and take the game on the way that they do feels so great. They do it with such class. Looking at the matchups, Priyansh taking the first ball – against a left-arm spinner – is exactly the match-up he wants. “On the other hand, Prabh taking on Unadkat with the new ball in the second over… we got 93 at the end of the powerplay. It was an unbelievable opening partnership,” he said.
At first glance, this feels simple — but it isn’t. You don’t usually recover from conceding over 100 in the first eight overs unless the game plan actually clicks, and PBKS’s response appears to have been both tactical and stubborn.
Next up, PBKS will face five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 16.