Another season looms ahead of us, Shers and it's hard not to get excited for this new look Punjab Kings side and what they'll bring to the table! The most striking change, one that fans and pundits were excited alike by after the auction, is the new skipper - Shreyas Iyer.

Born and brought up in the Mumbai cricket tradition, Shreyas made a name for himself as a young, hard-hitting batter and useful spinner. His IPL journey has been nothing short of remarkable, with successful stints at Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, the reigning champions. His time at Delhi was especially notable from a PBKS point of view as it marked the beginning of a partnership that is now rekindled in Mohali - the electrifying combination with Ricky Ponting.

Shreyas' IPL career carries some interesting statistics -3,127 runs in 115 innings, placing him an impressive 26th on the all-time IPL run-getters list. His best season with the bat came in 2020, when he amassed 519 runs. But beyond all these numbers lies an emotional truth - Shreyas has been a player developing from a bright youngster into a mature and successful captain, learning from the best and eventually working with the best as his IPL career progressed. Just ask the people of Kolkata who celebrated their third title which came under his captaincy. A vibrant and confident captain, Shreyas also has the opportunity to rekindle what was a seminal partnership in his captaincy career with the legend that is Ricky Ponting.

There aren't enough words to describe the impact of Ricky Ponting on cricket as a whole, so it's probably enough to say he's a legend beyond superlatives. Ruthless, intelligent, aggressive and always, always competitive - the 3-time world cup winning Aussie is known for hard-nosed, uncompromising cricket both in the style of play and the mentality he instills in others.

Can Shreyas and Ponting steer PBKS into a new era? Can they finally bring silverware to a fanbase that has waited patiently since the tournament’s inception? Can they maximize the potential of what some pundits are calling PBKS' most exciting squad yet?

Only time will tell, but for now, one thing is certain, it's hard not to get excited as a Punjab Kings fan!