New Chandigarh, March 31: Punjab Kings will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on Tuesday at their home ground, the New International Stadium, against Gujarat Titans (GT). Head coach Ricky Ponting expressed confidence in a stronger and improved team for the new season ahead of the match against GT.
Ponting stressed that although the team finished at the top of the table last season, it is approaching this new campaign with a fresh mindset.
He stated, “Last season was fantastic for the franchise, and it’s nice to reflect on that, but it holds no meaning in the new year. Now, everyone starts at 0-0. We need to begin again.”
The coach highlighted improvements in the team’s depth and flexibility as significant strengths, noting that they have multiple options for every role.
Ponting remarked, “We have the players we wanted for those specific roles, but we also have backups for most of them in our 25-player squad. Overall, I believe we will be stronger this time.”
He added, “I think many of our players have naturally improved in their game, and if we can get the best out of them in the next two months starting tomorrow, there’s no reason our performance shouldn’t surpass last year’s.”
Ponting acknowledged the importance of quickly adapting to the pitch conditions when finalizing the playing eleven.
He said, “We have 25 players to choose from, with a good balance of foreign players and Indian talent. First and foremost, we need to understand the pitch conditions before selecting the team. It has just started raining, so all covers are on the field. We haven’t been able to see the pitch in the last few days. Hopefully, before the session ends tonight, we can get a good look at the wicket we will use tomorrow, and then we can start thinking about different combinations, impact players, and what changes we want in our lineup.”
Ponting concluded, “We need to start well tomorrow and perform strongly on our home ground. Honestly, I believe we have a better team than last year. Our young players have gained more experience, and the foreign players we’ve brought in this year are an improvement over last season’s team. Overall, I am very excited for the start of this season.”
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