Aakash Chopra on Ricky Ponting being the new head coach of the Punjab Kings: “You won’t have so many English players there now”

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have named legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting as their new head coach for the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL). Aakash Chopra, a well-known analyst and former Indian cricket player, has talked about the possible changes this could mean for the team.

The ninth-place Punjab Kings in the 2024 Indian Premier League have been having trouble establishing themselves in the competition despite multiple adjustments to their strategy and leadership. Expectations are high for a change in the team’s fortunes with Ponting leading the charge. Chopra thought there might be a big change in the makeup of the team.

How do you anticipate Ricky Ponting to perform? First of all, I think the group of English players will be dispersed. All individuals purchased for either 12 or 18 crores will be dispatched. The number of English players there will have decreased. There is going to be a shift there. Australian players will now be available there,” he claimed on his YouTube account.

The former opener for India also said that it’s possible that Australians who were in the Delhi Capital’s camp could next be seen under Ponting at the Punjab-based team.

“You’ll discover that some of the Australian players in Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings will join him after being released from the Delhi Capitals camp. Although he is not biassed, Chopra continued, “Everywhere you see Ricky, you find a slightly bigger Australian contingent there because he knows them well.”

They currently have 16 captains, and this year they will appoint the 17th: Aakash Chopra

Shikhar Dhawan, the former opener for India, announced his retirement, hence in the next season, PBKS would be looking for a new skipper.

“The quantity of captains that have been produced is another item that will alter. This year will see the appointment of the 17th captain, out of the previous 16. This indicates that nearly every season has had a different captain. They will look for a new captain now that Shikhar Dhawan has retired,” Chopra continued.

The analyst discussed the team’s difficulties as well. Since 2014, PBKS has missed out on the playoffs, and Ponting will be their third head coach in four years.

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“The only thing that hasn’t changed is their fortunes, but change is the only constant.” They have advanced to the playoffs and the championship game, but they have never won the trophy. It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario: have they not won the trophy because they have made so many changes, or are they forced to make adjustments because they haven’t won the trophy? Their eleventh coach is Ricky Ponting,” he noted.