Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting singled out two standout moments from Priyansh Arya’s explosive 103 off 42 balls that powered PBKS to an 18-run win over Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday, April 8. The Delhi batter’s century—his first in the IPL—was the joint-fourth-fastest in the tournament’s history and made him only the eighth uncapped player to reach the three-figure mark.
In his post-match dressing room speech, Ponting praised not just the innings, but the character shown by Priyansh after a tough previous outing, where he was dismissed for a first-ball duck against Rajasthan Royals. Ponting highlighted the first ball of Priyansh’s innings against CSK—launched for a massive six—as symbolic of the fearless approach PBKS wants to cultivate.
“I’ve been around a lot of games of cricket. I haven’t seen many knocks like what I saw tonight. Priyansh, 103 off 42. There are two things I want to highlight about it. You got out first ball last game and the first ball today sails 100 metres over point for a six,” Ponting said.
“That says a lot about you and the attitude that we all want to have. Regardless of what happened in the last game—whether you made runs or didn’t—you stuck to your game. You displayed the attitude to put it back on the bowlers from the first ball. Unbelievable knock.”
Ponting also lauded Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson for their crucial roles in closing out the match, which saw CSK fall short despite a strong late surge.
Despite the solid 3-1 start to their IPL 2025 campaign, Ponting believes the team is still operating below its full potential.
“We’re 3-1 right now. I still don’t think we’ve played anywhere near a perfect game of cricket. That’s going to come if we keep working hard,” he added.
Punjab Kings will now turn their focus to their upcoming away fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad, hoping to carry forward the momentum and tighten their grip on a playoff spot.
