English Contingent Out, Aussie Pack In?: Aakash Chopra Opines New PBKS Head Coach Ricky Ponting Could Rope in Familiar Faces

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting made the switch to Punjab Kings, to take over the role of the head coach at the IPL side, after five years at the helm of the Delhi Capitals.

Punjab have suffered sb-par performances in the recent editions of the money-rich tournament and are yet to get their hands on the coveted trophy for the first time. It is expected that the move to rope in the Australian World Cup winner is a step towards the side’s silverware ambition.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra opined that Ponting could bring in a number of changes, including a reshuffle in the pack with the departure of the English players in the contingent.

PBKS, who have a strong core of English players including the likes of Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Chris Woakes, could part with the Englishmen ahead of the upcoming mega auction.

“What will you expect from Ricky Ponting? Firstly, I feel the gathering of English players there will get removed. Everyone will be sent, those bought for 18 crores or 12 crores. You won’t have so many English players there now,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Chopra also added that Ponting could bring in a couple of Australian players citing the familiarity bias that could come into play.

“Now there will be some change there. Now you will have Australian players there. Ponting placed plenty of faith in his compatriots with Delhi, including David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Mitchell Marsh over the years,” he continued.

“You will find that the Australian players in the Delhi Capitals camp will be released and some of them will become a part of Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings. I am not saying he is biased but wherever you see Ricky, you find a slightly bigger Australian contingent there because he knows them well,” Chopra added.

Punjab will also look to find a skipper to lead the line with former skipper and batting maverick Shikhar Dhawan calling curtains on his long and illustrious career.

“One more thing will change, that is the number of captains that have been made. They have had 16 captains and the 17th one will be made this year. Now since Shikhar Dhawan has taken retirement, they will search for a new captain,” Chopra added.