Punjab Kings’ head coach, Ricky Ponting, made a daring decision by choosing Shreyas Iyer over Rishabh Pant in the IPL auction. Even though many people expected Pant to be the team’s main target, especially with Ponting as the coach, the franchise decided to spend a lot of money on Iyer and got him for INR 26.75 crore.
Surprisingly, PBKS didn’t place any bid for Pant, who was later bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a record INR 27 crore. When asked why they didn’t bid for Pant, Ponting replied in his way.
Punjab Kings had the largest budget of Rs 110.5 crore going into the auction. After a tough bidding battle with Delhi Capitals, PBKS successfully bought Iyer for Rs 26.75 crore, which made him the second-highest-paid player in IPL history.
After spending so much on Iyer, PBKS had to be careful when it came to bidding for Pant. When Pant’s name came up in the auction, PBKS stayed quiet and didn’t raise their paddle, as many other teams were bidding for him.
Why Iyer Purchased By PBKS?
Ponting recognized Pant’s importance but said that since they had already bought Iyer, the team wasn’t interested in getting into a bidding fight for Pant.
“I haven’t got it yet. I got the other one. I mean, Rishabh, everyone knows what Rishabh can do, his value to the game, his value to the team. He is a dynamic player, has an infectious attitude and is a winner,” he said.
With Iyer joining Punjab Kings, the management will look at him as captain for the next year.
Will Iyer Captain PBKS In IPL 2025?
By signing Iyer, PBKS could have found a potential captain for the team. Ponting quickly mentioned that hehadn’tt discussed the captaincy with Iyer yet and revealed that he tried calling him before the auction but didn’t get a response.
“I haven’t spoken to him (Shreyas Iyer about captaincy) yet. I tried to call him before the auction, but he didn’t pick up,” he said.
