Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting heaped praise on Virat Kohli’s match-winning knock while expressing disappointment over his own side’s batting effort in their seven-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Sunday.
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Kohli remained unbeaten on 73 as RCB comfortably chased down Punjab’s below-par 157 with seven balls to spare. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ponting highlighted Kohli’s composure and game awareness as the defining difference.
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“Virat bats through tonight, sees his team home, and we weren’t good enough to capitalise on a good start,” Ponting said. “That’s the difference. We had a lot of batsmen make starts, but no one kicked on. In T20 cricket, that’s crucial — especially at the top of the order.”
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Ponting admitted the pitch was better than the score his team managed. “The wicket was a whole lot better than 157. At 62 for 1 in the powerplay, we should’ve pushed to 180, maybe even 200,” he added. “But once again, we lost wickets in clumps — a pattern that’s hurting us.”
He lauded RCB’s bowling unit, particularly their death specialists. “Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood were brilliant in the last four overs. Their spinners bowled smartly too — they didn’t let us settle.”
Ponting also pointed out the inconsistency of pitches in Mullanpur. “Each of the four pitches we’ve played on here has been different. It takes time to adjust,” he said.
With a six-day break ahead, Ponting hopes the team regroups strongly before facing Kolkata Knight Riders.
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