IPL 2025 matchup between PBKS and MI: Although the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been playing well this season, head coach Ricky Ponting feels that the Shreyas Iyer-led team hasn’t done much yet, saying that a playoff qualification after more than ten years is currently just a job half done.

The Punjab Kings easily defeated the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets to guarantee a spot in the top two in the playoffs and two opportunities to go to the league’s lucrative final.

“I think it’s pretty obvious to see that this is a really talented team that are all on the same page and heading in the same direction,” Ponting said in an interview with JioHotstar.

“Yeah, it’s a fantastic accomplishment thus far, but when you look back, we haven’t accomplished anything. Since we qualified, that’s the only thing I’ve told the guys,” Ponting said.

“My goal was always to place in the top two, and we’ve achieved that today. We’ve loved spending the previous ten weeks together as a really happy bunch, but we still have one more week left,” the former Australian captain said.

Ponting lavished captain Shreyas Iyer with praise. The Ponting and Iyer team last served as coach and captain of the Delhi Capitals, leading the team to its first-ever final in the COVID-19 UAE leg.

“I was eager to collaborate with Iyer once again. At the auction, it was quite clear how much I was prepared to pay for him. Under his leadership, we achieved a final in Delhi and had a fantastic working relationship,” Ponting said.

Players like Iyer, in Ponting’s opinion, create a fantastic team atmosphere.

“I’ve known him for a while, both as a player and as a person. He’s a great guy, and you need quality individuals on your team when you’re trying to alter culture and make a difference,” he added.

“Since Shreyas has spent a lot of time with the players, I believe that if you talked to each one of them separately, they would all give him a wonderful rap.

“He’s pumped them up, he’s given them a pat on the back when they needed it, and he’s given them a kick in the pants when they’ve needed it as well, which is a sign of a really good and strong leader,” said the head coach.