Punjab Kings’ fairytale IPL 2025 campaign came to a halt at the final hurdle. In a game where they had Royal Challengers Bengaluru restricted to 190, the target wasn’t beyond reach. But their approach, especially in the early overs, raised questions. Ricky Ponting, head coach of PBKS, pointed towards the absence of experience in the batting lineup as a decisive factor. After the match, Ponting said, “Maybe a little bit of experience in that middle order today might have helped us out. But what I know is that we're going to have these younger guys around this team for a long time and I think they're going to win us a lot of games going forward.” Punjab entered the final with Shreyas Iyer as their only capped Indian batter. Even Iyer, despite his past credentials, is currently out of favour in two international formats. Josh Inglis was available for only 11 games. Maxwell and Stoinis were used sporadically or batted too low to influence outcomes. For most of the season, it was the youthful Indian core that delivered the goods with an attacking mindset. But in the final, that clarity deserted them. Read also: “Now Go Back to Changing diapers: Kohli’s Heartfelt Message to New Dad Phil Salt Ponting blames key overs and missed instinct PBKS scored just 32 in the first four overs of the final without losing a wicket—an uncharacteristic start compared to their aggressive template. Speaking about the overly defensive approach, Ponting said, “You know, when you have a really good defensive over, it's really important that the next one you go after and try and capitalise on. And we weren't able to do that in the fourth over of that powerplay.” Asked if the team’s cautious approach was a result of their earlier collapse in Qualifier 1 against the same opposition, Ponting replied, "I would like to think not because one thing I've told this group is always taking the game forward, always seeing the positive result… and not thinking about the negative result that might happen if you get out.” “One thing as a batsman in this game, you can't be worried about getting out. If you're worried about getting out, you can't play the game well.” Despite the heartbreak, Ponting remained proud of the group. “I can't speak highly enough for what those young boys have done through the tournament. The way that we've been able to play our cricket, it's been highly entertaining… We'll be back bigger and stronger next season."