Jaipur, May 26 -- After finishing in the top two in the group standings for the first time in 11 years, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting lavished praise on "quality" franchise skipper Shreyas Iyer and how hard it will be to fill Marco Jansen's absence in the IPL 2025 playoffs.

The dynamic duo of Ponting and Shreyas, who worked wonders at Delhi Capitals in 2020, continued to reap success with Punjab in the 18th season of the cash-rich league.

Punjab took a step closer to entering the elusive dreamland after staging a thumping 7-wicket triumph over the Mumbai Indians at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium and confirming a top-two finish, allowing them to bite the cherry twice in the playoffs.

The former Australian was all in praise of S...