Manoj Tiwary expressed his belief that Punjab Kings will not win the IPL 2025 title and accused head coach Ricky Ponting of making a questionable decision. Tiwary pointed out that during the IPL 2025 match against Kolkata Knight Riders, PBKS opted to send Glenn Maxwell to No. 4 and Marco Jansen to No. 5, following a strong start from Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh.
This shift in the batting order meant that Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh didn’t get a chance to bat. Tiwary criticized Ponting for favoring foreign players over Indian talents, and stated that the strategy failed to pay off. He further warned that if Ponting continues to lack confidence in Indian players, PBKS’ chances of winning the title this year will be slim.
Punjab Kings’ IPL Title Hopes in Jeopardy After Rain-Interrupted Match
My gut feeling says that Punjab Kings will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season. What I saw today during their batting innings was concerning. Punjab Kings The coach chose not to send in in-form Indian batters Nehal Wadera and Shashank Singh, instead relying on foreign players to deliver. Unfortunately, they couldn’t deliver, clearly showing a lack of confidence in the Indian players down the order. If this approach continues, the title will be far from their reach, regardless of their qualification in the top two. #KKRvsPBKS, he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
My gut feeling says that punjab team will not be able to win the #IPL trophy this season because what I saw today when they were batting was, the coach didn’t send Indian inform batters Nehal wadera and Shasank singh, instead he trusted his foreign players to deliver, but they…
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) April 26, 2025
As for the match, rain played spoilsport as the Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL match against Punjab Kings was called off after the visiting team posted 201 for 4 on Saturday. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya slammed stellar half-centuries, giving Punjab Kings a solid opening foundation. However, KKR managed to pull things back at the death, and PBKS finished their innings with 201 for 4.
Punjab Kings In reply, KKR were at seven for no loss in one over when a sudden thunderstorm struck around 9:35 PM, sending debris flying across the ground and blowing the covers into the stands. Despite the ground staff quickly covering the pitch, relentless rain followed, making it impossible to resume play. After nearly 90 minutes of waiting, with no relief from the weather, the match was officially called off at 10:58 PM.
As a result, both teams shared one point each. KKR now has seven points from nine matches, staying in the seventh spot, while Punjab Kings moved to 11 points from nine games.