Ponting confirms being in active talks to coach Washington Freedom in MLC

Melbourne, Feb 1

Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting confirmed that he is in active talks to coach the Washington Freedom side in the second edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.

In the inaugural MLC season in 2023, which has been backed financially by various IPL sides, Washington, who were coached by Greg Shipperd, had finished at third place after losing to MI New York by 16 runs in the Eliminator.

"We're not there yet, I haven't committed to anything just yet. There have been some discussions. I haven’t committed to anything just yet but I’ve had some initial chats. The time of the year (when the MLC is on) fits in for me," said Ponting to SEN Radio.

The second edition of MLC will begin just four days after the Men’s T20 World Cup final is played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 30. Before that, Ponting will be coaching Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024. As of now, he’s not been confirmed yet to commentate on 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.

"I’ve got a few weeks now before the IPL which rolls into the T20 World Cup and the MLC is immediately after the World Cup. It’s potentially another big year of time away if I want it. There’s just some stuff that I have to work through. If I'm actually going to be commentating the T20 World Cup or not and if I'm not doing that, where does MLC fit in?" he added.

Ponting had previously been at the helm for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and served in an assistant coach capacity under Justin Langer for the Australian team, notably in the 2019 Men’s ODI World Cup.

"I like the coaching side of things and I’ve enjoyed my time at the IPL in the past six to seven years. I’ve been able to help around the Australian team on a couple of tours when Justin Langer was coach.

The game is in my blood and I love working with the best players in the world and trying to find a way to make them a bit better. All in the hope that we can win some games along the way," he concluded.

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