Ricky Ponting Calms PBKS Ahead of May 23 Lsg Vs Pbks
Ricky Ponting pushed Punjab Kings' off-field social media noise aside before lsg vs pbks at Ekana on Saturday, May 23. The head coach said the external chatter had not disrupted the team, even as Punjab entered the match after six straight defeats.
Ponting Stays on Team Control
"I don't think anything externally has interrupted us as a team," Ponting said ahead of the must-win fixture against Lucknow Super Giants. That was the blunt line he used to separate the cricket from the online noise surrounding the franchise.
He added, "I'm not a big social media guy anyway, so I don't, a lot of the stuff that's been happening. I'm probably oblivious to (social media)." The comment drew a clear boundary around what he said he follows and what he does not.
"All I can do and control is, is the behaviour of the team and the way that the team prepares and the way that the team plays," Ponting said. That left the focus on Punjab's methods, not the posts circulating around them.
Shreyas Iyer Backed By Ponting
The pressure around Punjab has grown because the season began with six consecutive wins before the slide turned into six straight defeats. The form has left their playoff hopes in jeopardy, which made Ponting's message about control more pointed than routine coach speak.
He also backed captain Shreyas Iyer, calling him "brilliant" and "an exceptional leader." Ponting said, "Oh, he's been brilliant we wanted to have the best leader that was available, we wanted to rebuild this franchise with the best Indian talent that we could and I think we did that".
He went further on Iyer's role inside the group, saying, "He's a very mature cricketer now he understands the way that he needs to be around the group to get the best out of all of his players every time that he speaks, every one of our players looks up and listens he's an exceptional leader." For Punjab, that puts the captain at the center of the response after the online controversy and the loss of form.
Saturday's match against Lucknow Super Giants is the immediate test. Punjab are carrying the weight of a six-match losing streak, and Ponting has tried to keep the response inside the dressing room rather than on social media.
