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Priyansh Arya‘s fearless century lit up Mullanpur on Tuesday as the 24-year-old opener hammered the joint fourth-fastest hundred in IPL history, powering Punjab Kings to a crucial 18-run win over Chennai Super Kings. But more than the fireworks, it was his attitude that drew the loudest applause — from none other than head coach Ricky Ponting.
Coming off a first-ball duck in the previous game, Arya bounced back in spectacular fashion, smashing 103 off 42 balls — an innings laced with nine sixes and seven fours. He took Punjab from a shaky 83/5 to a formidable 219/6, the highest total ever recorded at the venue.
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Ponting, visibly moved in the post-match huddle at the team’s dressing room, showered praise on Arya for the character he displayed. “I’ve been around a lot of games of cricket. I haven’t seen many better knocks than what I saw tonight,” said the former Australian skipper. “You got out first ball last game, and yet the first ball today sails 100 metres over point for six. That says a lot about you and the attitude that we all want to have.”
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Ponting continued, “Regardless of what happened last game, you stuck to your game. You displayed the attitude to put it back on the bowlers. From the first ball, you did that. Unbelievable knock.”
Arya reached his maiden IPL hundred with a jaw-dropping assault on Matheesha Pathirana — hitting him for three consecutive sixes and a four. Though he fell in the 13th over trying to clear long-on, his blitz had already turned the game.
Shashank Singh (52* off 36) and Marco Jansen (34* off 19) added an unbeaten 65-run stand to close out the innings. Ponting didn’t miss the opportunity to laud them either.
“To Shashank — smart, calculating. You did what the team needed. That’s what I keep asking: ‘What does my team need from me right now?’ You answered that perfectly,” he said.
On Jansen, Ponting added, “Marco, very important runs. You even said at the time-out we could get to 220 — and we got 219! We were 80 for 5, backs to the wall, and look what we did. That’s what good teams do.”
With the win, Punjab Kings moved up to No. 4 on the table, and Arya proved he’s more than a rising star — he’s the embodiment of a fearless, team-first mindset.
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