IPL 2026 | 'We’re a bloody hard team to beat': PBKS coach Ponting

Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting believes his sidersquos current form and collective mindset make them one of the toughest teams to overcome in the Indian Premier League IPL 2026 asserting that sticking close to their best standards will keep them firmly ahead of the competitionPunjab Kings underlined that confidence with a dominant 54run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday extending their unbeaten run in the season In doing so PBKS also created history by becoming the first team in IPL history to remain undefeated after their opening six matches a milestone in the leaguersquos 19year historyAsked to bat first for the first time this season PBKS responded with 2547 the highest total of IPL 2026 powered by a sensational 182run stand for the second wicket between Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly Arya led the charge with a blistering 93 off just 37 balls smashing nine sixes while Connolly complemented him with a fluent 87 off 46 deliveriesPonting credited the teamrsquos ldquoteamfirstrdquo philosophy as the cornerstone of their success reiterating the importance of maintaining standards inside the dressing roomKnowing that if we do things somewhere near our best youre going to be a bloody hard team to beat Priyansh just decided to go ahead and play his own way regardless of what happened at the other end One of the values and standards we have as a groupmdashand the number one on the top of our listmdashis team first This has probably been our biggest victory Ponting saidArya whose fearless strokeplay set the tone early spoke about keeping his approach simple despite the highscoring contest I was thinking that I would respect a good ball and take a single or double And whatever is on my radar Ill go for boundaries Thats what I was looking for he saidAt the other end Connolly admitted he found himself admiring Aryarsquos onslaught at times while working his way into the innings I was at the other end just in awe a little bit because I couldnt get off strike but yeah I was just enjoying watching Priyansh bat We all have discussions about what works for each other and we take little things out of each others books to get better as a group Cooper notedSkipper Shreyas Iyer praised the young duo for their composure and attacking intent while also revealing a lighthearted internal challenge to keep them motivatedAbsolutely brilliant batting Some of the shots were just incredible It takes a lot of courage and concentration to play shots like those I was talking to Cooper and Priyansh and we were challenging them to see who could hit the most sixes this season The prize Theyrsquoll get my bat I hope it brings some joy and motivation They are constantly putting in the effort and we just tell them to go out there and express themselves Iyer saidThe late acceleration came from Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh and their quickfire contributions ensured PBKS capitalised fully on the platform set by the top order Stoinis acknowledged the impact of the opening pair in shaping the inningsLong may continue that they hit good sixes because it means that were flying at the top of the order And if on the days that it doesnt go well for them hopefully I can pick up the scraps and sort out the rest Stoinis addedWith five wins and one no result Punjab Kings sit comfortably at the top of the IPL 2026 standings and will aim to carry their momentum into their next clash against the Delhi Capitals on April 25This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever