Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has predicted that Punjab Kings will not win their maiden IPL trophy in 2025, criticising head coach Ricky Ponting’s decision to favour foreign players over in-form Indian batters during their rain-affected match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Punjab Kings currently sit fourth in the IPL 2025 standings after nine matches, with five wins and three losses, plus one no-result from Saturday’s game against KKR.
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Tiwary’s criticism stems from Ponting’s batting order choices following Prabhsimran Singh’s dismissal for 83 off 49 balls in the 15th over. Instead of sending in Nehal Wadhera, who has proven successful at number four for both Punjab and Mumbai Indians, Ponting opted for Glenn Maxwell, who continued his poor form with just seven runs from eight balls.
The decision to send Marco Jansen and Josh Inglis ahead of established finisher Shashank Singh in the final 20 balls, when Punjab was targeting a 200-plus total, further drew Tiwary’s disapproval.
“My gut feeling says that Punjab team will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season because what I saw today when they were batting was, the coach didn’t send Indian inform batters Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh, instead he trusted his foreign players to deliver, but they couldn’t and clearly showed lack of confidence in Indian players down the order. If he persists in this way, then the title is far from them irrespective of their qualification in the top two,” Tiwary shared on social media.
The 2025 IPL season has seen unexpected teams emerge as title contenders at the halfway mark, with Punjab Kings among those surprising many despite pre-season predictions favouring other teams.
Punjab Kings have maintained their position in the top four of the points table after sharing a point with defending champions KKR in the rain-affected match.
Looking ahead, the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings face Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on April 30, followed by a home game against Lucknow Super Giants in Dharamsala on May 4.
