The IPL 2025 season has come to an end. Despite coming close, disappointment once again loomed over Punjab Kings. Team owner Preity Zinta’s dream of IPL glory remained just that—a dream. Following the season, Punjab Kings’ coach Ricky Ponting and owner Preity Zinta sat down for a private discussion. Their conversation went beyond just cricket, touching on several off-field topics.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was known for his aggressive demeanor on the field. But as a coach, he appears to be quite the opposite—calm and composed. Preity brought this contrast into the conversation, asking how someone so aggressive as a player can remain so cool and composed in the dugout.
Preity asked, “You were so aggressive on the field, but how do you remain so calm and composed in the dugout?”
Ponting replied with a smile, saying it’s not entirely true. He said, “You’ll have to come sit next to me in the dugout one day. Then you’ll see that I’m not always calm. Look, I am a bit of an aggressive person—especially when it comes to cricket.”
He added, “Outside of cricket, I laugh, chat with people, have coffee—I do everything. But once the cricket starts, my only focus is to get the best performance out of the team.”
Perhaps it is this very mindset of Ponting that helped lead Punjab Kings to the final this season.
