Punjab Kings have finally reached the IPL playoffs after 11 long years. The last time the Punjab-based franchise reached the playoffs was in 2014 when the Max-Miller show and George Bailey’s captaincy led Punjab to their first-ever IPL final, where they were defeated by Kolkata Knight Riders. Now, the Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, have qualified for the playoffs, and the Ponting-Iyer duo has finally given the Punjab Kings fans something to celebrate. Gujarat’s win over Delhi Capitals ensured the Punjab Kings a playoff spot, earlier in the day match Punjab Kings defeated Rajsthan Royals to take their points tally to a total of 17 points which took them to the second place in the table but after the GT vs Dc match the kings are now third in the points table and will now be looking to win their remaining two matches to ensure a top 2 spot. Punjab will be playing Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in their remaining two league stage matches.
The Iyer-Ponting Duo
Ricky Ponting was announced as the PBKS head coach before last year’s mega auction, and the Punjab fans were hoping that he would be the one who would take Punjab to some new heights. Ponting went into the auction with the biggest purse, and he splashed 26.75 crores for the services of Shreyas Iyer, who was released by KKR after he won them the title in the previous season as their captain. Ponting had previously worked with Iyer at Delhi Capitals, and his decision to get Iyer and make him captain of the Punjab Kings has paid off as they are in the IPL playoffs in their first season with the Punjab Kings. They have managed to get the best out of all their players, and some aggressive and attacking decisions by them have paid off. Punjab Kings is the only team that chooses to bat first after winning the toss. The way both of them have backed their domestic players is totally remarkable. Punjab is the only team that opens with two uncapped Indian players, and this decision has turned their fortunes around this year as Prabh and Priyansh are one of the best opening pair in the league at the moment.
PBKS VS RR
In the 59th match of the Ipl PBKS played against RR in Jaipur and won the match by 10 runs thanks to a wonderful bowling spell by Harpreet Brar who stopped the dangerous RR batting from winning after the the dangerous Vaibhav-Jaiswal duo scored 76 runs off just 5 overs whilst chasing 220 on a good batting wicket but Harpreet Brar stood in Rajasthan’s way as he got the both openers after a flying start and some tight bowling from Yuzvendra Chahal and good death bowling from Omazai, Arshdeep and Jansen gave Punjab their 8th victory of the season. In batting, Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh took the Punjab Kings from 35-3 to 219 after the end of 20 overs. This showed that Punjab is not only relying on their top order, but they also have a strong middle order.
Shreyas Iyer Finger injury
Captain Iyer came to bat at 5 and was also not on the field during the second innings due to a finger injury. In the post-match interview, he said
“The reason is the finger over here (pointing at the forefinger). I don’t know what has happened. Yesterday while practicing I got hit, I will have to go and check what is the issue here.”
Punjab Kings would be hoping that Shreyas doesn’t have any type of serious injury as he is their captain and key player, and they will need his services going ahead in the season. Shreyas is called the “Sarpanch” by the PBKS fans and they will be hoping that their captain will be back on the field in the next match.
About the Author
Arpit Sharma is a sports writer and journalism student at Chandigarh University, with a strong interest in sports analysis and storytelling. His writing combines match insights with a fresh, fan-first perspective that brings the game to life.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Vygr's views.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
©️ Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Vygr Media.
