It proved to be a smart move by Punjab Kings to send Josh Inglis at No. 3 against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, ahead of Shreyas Iyer, who has otherwise excelled in that slot. Shortly after the Kings sealed a 37-run win in their IPL 2025 clash at the HPCA Stadium, head coach Ricky Ponting revealed the idea came from the captain himself.

Inglis’s 14-ball 30, after the early dismissal of Priyansh Arya, set the tone for what turned into a relentless onslaught. “Shreyas felt if we lose an early wicket, it would be right to send Inglis in,” Ponting said.

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“We felt that Mayank Yadav would bowl early on, and he generally bowls reasonably short, which is one of Inglis’s great strengths. Those pull shots were pretty amazing,” he added.

After Inglis’s cameo, Prabhsimran Singh took charge, smashing a 48-ball 91. “He has been brilliant,” said the former Australian captain.

“Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran have got us off to good starts throughout the tournament. I challenged both of them to get a hundred in this match. Unfortunately, Prabhsimran fell a little bit short of that,” Ponting added.

The coach also praised Arshdeep Singh, whose incisive spell crippled LSG’s chase.

“He has become more confident and is starting to get those PowerPlay wickets with the new ball. His first over set the tone for our bowling innings. He is a star and we are very lucky to have him in our team,” Ponting said.