Punjab Kings officially appointed Shreyas Iyer as their skipper for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was picked by the franchise for a whopping amount of Rs 26.75 crore in the mega auction and will be working with head coach Ricky Ponting for the second time in the cash-rich league.

The captain-coach duo last worked together at the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020 when the team had made it to the final only to lose to Mumbai Indians.

Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to joining hands with Ponting yet again and lauded the latter for the way he works as a coach. "I feel the captain and the coach are the ones who are the decision-makers on the field - and even off the field at times, because you want all the players to be happy and have a certain kind of focus towards the team winning matches, more than just going out there and enjoying. The responsibility is also shared equally. It's not that we will be putting the blame on each other. I've worked with him in the past, I know how his mindset is, and I know he gives that sort of freedom," Iyer said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.

Iyer also pointed out Ponting is a thorough professional as a coach and owns up to responsibilities as well. "At the same time, when you provide freedom, there comes responsibility as well. If you are owning up to the responsibilities and putting your hand up to say that, okay, yeah, I'm the one who made that mistake, or I'm the one to bite the bullet, he would be more than welcoming. I know his nature - he is someone who likes a person or a player who owns up to his mistakes.

"That's one great thing about him. Also, T20 is such a fast-paced game, things are bound to happen. And the ones who make the least amount of mistakes are the ones who stay calm and composed. And I'm sure as a coach he provides that sort of composure to every individual," Iyer added.

Punjab Kings are yet to win the IPL despite being part of the T20 extravaganza since its inaugural edition in 2008. They made it to the final of the 2014 edition when Glenn Maxwell was the captain but have struggled since then. The franchise will be hoping that their fortunes changes under their 17th captain and new coach Ricky Ponting.