Ricky Ponting: Why the Aussie great left Delhi Capitals to join Punjab Kings — he explains

Ricky Ponting has pulled off quite a few surprises this year. First, he departed Delhi Capitals as their head coach and recently joined Punjab Kings in the same role ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the most successful batters and captains in international cricket, Ponting won the IPL as a player with Mumbai Indians in 2013 and also coached the franchise to the title in 2015. In 2018 he moved to DC and helped them reach their first final along with a few playoff qualifications, but it all came to an end in July this year.

Now after joining PBKS, Ponting in a tell-all interview has revealed why he left DC after seven memorable years with the franchise and his reasons behind joining Punjab who have never won the IPL.

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On leaving DC, Ponting said that the franchise wanted a “full-time” head coach, but the Aussie great was not ready to make such a commitment.

“I felt like we created a really good family environment there. As I said, I understand what they want: they said to me that my availability was becoming an issue. And they wanted to pretty much have a full-time head coach,” Ponting told ESPNcricinfo. “I couldn’t commit to that, so I was disappointed that it ended, but I understand the direction they wanted to head going forward.”

“Everyone that I have been there with, everyone’s had a great time. You have only to look at some of the social media posts that Delhi put out straightaway to understand that a lot of the people involved in the franchise were disappointed that I wasn’t continuing as well. But the decisions were made.”

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On joining PBKS, Ponting said that he saw the lack of trophies at the franchise as a challenge he wanted to take. Punjab’s best performance has been runner-up finish in 2014.

“Yes, I was talking to a few teams, but it was “Project Punjab” which attracted me,” Ponting told ESPNCricinfo. “It is a team that hasn’t had a lot of success over a long period of time, a team that’s changed coaches a lot, so I saw it as a challenge. The other exciting part is that I saw some really exciting youngsters last year at Kings that hopefully, we can attract back to the team for this season and put together a team that is going to be good enough to win the IPL.”

“I mean, there’s no doubting over the years that the Kings have had good players, have had good teams. They just haven’t been able to win it yet. I have a longish-term deal there, and hopefully during that period of time we can win the IPL,” added Ponting.