Shreyas Iyer’s drive to win the IPL trophy has intensified, with the Punjab Kings skipper determined to take his team one step further in the IPL 2026 season, according to head coach Ricky Ponting on Monday. Iyer, who took over as captain last year, guided PBKS to a top finish in the group stage and led them to the final, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated them.

“The way he played last season with the bat was possibly the best we’ve seen from him in the IPL, and I can sense that his hunger for success is stronger than ever,” Ponting told reporters.

“Having come so close to winning as a captain with a new team last year, I’m confident he’s eager to take that next step and lead us to victory this season,” the head coach added ahead of their opener against the Gujarat Titans.

Ricky Ponting pointed out that the addition of Australia’s Cooper Connolly brings a fresh level of flexibility to Punjab Kings, improving their squad balance from last year.

“We’ve spent a lot of time working together for around 4 or 5 years in Delhi. When I got this role and learned that Shreyas would be going into the mega auction, I made sure I had enough funds available to secure him for the team,” Ponting explained.

“I was eager to work with Shreyas again, and everything fell into place quickly for us last year. We share very similar ideas and philosophies about the game. It’s not unusual for us to approach each other with the same thought in mind, and when we discuss it, it’s exactly what we were both thinking,” he added.

Reflecting on their bonding at Delhi Capitals, Ponting highlighted that he and Shreyas Iyer share a same approach and mindset, which has contributed to their successful partnership.

“Adding someone like Cooper Connolly to the squad gives us valuable flexibility in both the top and middle order, especially with his left-handed batting,” Ponting mentioned.

“Last year, we had Priyansh Arya at the top and Nehal Wadhera in the middle. Adding someone like Cooper Connolly gives us more flexibility across the batting order, especially with left-hand and right-hand combinations, if we choose that route,” said the former Australian captain.

He also emphasised that Punjab Kings’ success in the previous season holds no weight going into the new one.