Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has reacted to the criticism of signing too many Australians for the franchise. Speaking after the IPL auction, Ponting said that those players fit their respective roles perfectly.

The Punjab Kings built a decent squad after the IPL 2025 auction. Having had the biggest purse walking into the two-day mega auction, Punjab were able to fill all the gaps needed including a new captain but the coach Ricky Ponting was on the receiving end of criticism of favouring Australians.

Sitting at the IPL Auction 2025, Punjab Kings had the biggest purse of ₹ 110.50 crore as they retained only Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. However, after the auction, PBKS was left with just ₹ 35 lakh, as they bought 23 players, including eight overseas players.

Ricky Ponting has shared his ideal playing XI for Australia's second Test against India and offered insights on the strategy his former team should adapt to level the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.