May 29, 2025: In one of the most entertaining post-match exchanges of IPL 2025, Punjab Kings youngster Suryansh Shedge unintentionally sparked laughter all around with his light-hearted confession involving Ricky Ponting and Suryakumar Yadav. The amusing incident unfolded after Mumbai Indians faced off against Punjab Kings in Jaipur on May 27.
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It all began when PBKS teammates playfully reminded Shedge about an earlier interaction during Mumbai Indians’ league-stage clash against Delhi Capitals. In that match, Suryakumar Yadav had hammered an unbeaten 73 off 43 balls. Shedge, watching the carnage unfold, was asked by PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting whether Suryakumar was his idol.
To everyone’s surprise, Shedge replied, “Nah, Virat Kohli.” Naturally, the revelation sparked banter among teammates, especially when Suryakumar himself brought up the moment after their game on Tuesday.
In a now-viral clip posted by Punjab Kings, Suryakumar is seen confronting Ponting with a smile, recalling the scene:
“You asked this guy (Shedge) one question. That this guy batting on the screen, is he your idol? Did he say like this, ‘Nah!’?”
Before Ponting could respond, Shedge jumped in defensively:
“Did I use that tone?”
Ponting initially added fuel to the fire with a cheeky lie, claiming Shedge had actually said, “Yes, 100%, he is my idol.” This only made the room erupt in laughter.
Eventually, the truth emerged, with Ponting confirming that Shedge had indeed taken Virat Kohli’s name, albeit hesitantly.
“To be honest, when I looked at him, he didn’t want to say, you know. He just said, ‘Nah’,” said Ponting, leaving Suryakumar laughing out loud.
While the fun exchange made for a memorable moment, Suryakumar had yet another impressive outing with the bat. He scored 57 off 39 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes, and continued his red-hot form this IPL season, having amassed 640 runs in 14 innings at a stunning strike rate of 167.97.
Despite MI’s struggles in the season, Surya has remained a consistent standout, proving once again why he’s one of the most feared batters in T20 cricket today — even if he’s not Shedge’s first idol!