Sept 18 (Askume) – Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been appointed head coach of Kings XI Punjab on a four-year deal ahead of the start of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the team said on Wednesday.
Ponting, 49, will replace Trevor Bayliss, who parted ways with Punjab in July after they finished ninth in last season’s IPL.
Ponting will take over the role after seven seasons with the Delhi Capitals. He will be Punjab’s third coach in four seasons as the team has failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2014.
“We are thrilled that Ricky will guide our team and lead it for the next four seasons,” Kings CEO Satish Menon said in a statement. His experience will be crucial to the team’s success on the court.
Punjab have not won the IPL title yet, their best performance being runner-up in 2014.
Ponting said, “I am grateful to Kings XI Punjab for giving me the opportunity to become the new head coach and I am happy to accept the new challenge.”
“I have had very good conversations with the owners and management about the way forward and am pleased to see the similarities in our vision for the team.
“We would like to express our gratitude to all the fans who have supported this team over the years and we guarantee that they will see a very different Kings XI Punjab in the future.”
Ponting has been part of the IPL since its inaugural season in 2008 when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders before moving to Mumbai Indians in 2013 and resigning as captain midway through the season.
He then joined Delhi in 2018 and led the team to the playoffs for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, including reaching the IPL final for the first time in 2020.
In 2024, she also led the Washington Liberty to win the MLS championship.
