Jeddah, Nov 24, 2024, IANS

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Nov 24 (IANS) Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting said he aims to make the franchise one of the powerhouses in the 10-team tournament. Punjab Kings have retained the uncapped duo of wicketkeeper-opener Prabhsimran Singh and middle-order batter Shashank Singh. They enter the auction with a purse of INR 110.5 crore, which is the biggest amongst all ten IPL teams. “I've been lucky to be around a few pretty successful teams. So MI for a few years and then DC, where we had a good run of making the playoffs there. And I liked the look of a few of the younger players in the Punjab Kings lineup.” “So that was the main attraction really but mainly, it was, to be able to start from scratch pretty much. The aim is to make the franchise one of the powerhouses of the IPL and to make it a really dynamic, fun-loving environment that everyone wants to be a part of,” said Ponting, a two-time ODI World Cup winning captain, to broadcasters Star Sports. He also highlighted the crucial aspects of what makes for a successful auction from his point of view. “I think there are three most crucial things with a successful auction. One's definitely making sure you stick to your strategy and not getting off that early on.” “I think being really calm and clear at the auction table is also a really important thing. And then communication on the day because, you know, you're working with the analysts, you're working with your owners. Communication is vital,” added Ponting. The two-day IPL 2025 mega auction will see the ten teams vying to fill 204 slots from a pool of 577 players, with 70 of those available slots being for overseas players.