Iyer lauds Ponting ahead of reunion

Shreyas Iyer, the newly-appointed skipper of Punjab Kings, says head coach Ricky Ponting makes him feel like a great player. "He supports everyone. When I worked with him for the first time in the past, he made me feel like I am a great player and I can easily excel in this format. The confidence he gives a player is of a different level," Iyer said of the Australian.

"The goal is to win the trophy, that's our mindset right now and it's a step-by-step process, it's not like you wake up in the morning and do it but the way we're practicing right now and the way we're sharing our wavelength and camaraderie with each other, it's going really well."

Ponting called Iyer a great human being and a leader. "He's a great human being. He is an IPL-winning captain. We could not have asked for more. He has only joined the camp a couple of days ago so he is starting to make his mark on the team as a captain and as a leader and that will evolve over the next few days before we get into our first game. But as I said, I could not have been happier."

Further explaining how the new squad contains appropriate balance, the two-time World Cup-winning skipper said, "We have had a really good mix of youth and experience. We have really high-quality Indian players and some really high-quality overseas players as well.

"I am elated with how the squad has come together. We had our first session here last night which went really well. The boys have trained really well."

Punjab Kings will face Gujarat Titans on March 25 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The team will then return to their home ground, the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh for two home games against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.