Family life tempers Ponting's coaching ambition

Former Test captain Ricky Ponting says the strain of the international schedule means he has no short-term ambition to coach at the highest level of the game.

Ponting will dip his toe into the coaching waters in April when he takes control of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, his first major coaching role since he retired from international cricket in 2012.

Schedule unveiled: Ponting's Indians to launch IPL 8

The Aussie's appointment as Mumbai's full-time coach comes after he was their batting consultant last year and a player in their title-winning campaign in 2013.

Ponting's standing as one of the greats of the modern era would make him highly sought after as an international coach, bringing with him a bank of experience that includes 168 Tests and 375 one-day internationals.

But after having spent the majority of his 20-year playing career away from home, Ponting says a desire to spend time with his young family - he and wife Rianna have three children under seven - means a full-time coaching job is out of the question for now.

"I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future," Ponting told iplt20.com.

"If you’re a full-time coach, you have to spend so much time away from home, which I am not prepared to do right now with a young family.

"That’s where tournaments like the IPL auger well. It’s only a couple of months and the family can come over for a break as well.

"Coaching an international team, you’re away from home for nine-10 months and that is too much for me."

Ponting was in India this week for the IPL auction, where his Indians secured the services of Australia's T20 captain Aaron Finch to complement a squad that already boasted the likes of India's Rohit Sharma, West Indian Kieron Pollard and Sri Lankan quick Lasith Malinga.

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The 40-year-old said his franchise "hit most of the marks we were after" in the auction and will go into the IPL's opening fixture on April 8 against champions Kolkata Knight Riders as one of the tournament favourites.

Ponting is hopeful his team will adopt the positive approach and work ethic that underlined his success as a player, while he's also stressed the importance of enjoyment.

“That’s in my nature, the aggression, and that’s the way I’ll be telling the boys to play," Ponting said.

"I think this game is all about taking the positive approach all the time; not sitting back and waiting for something to happen but being proactive and making things happen.

"That’s how I played and that’s how I’ll be coaching as well.

"I will be a hard taskmaster.

"I’ll make sure the players know where they stand but at the same time have some fun as well.

“I believe that throughout my playing career, one positive thing was my work ethic, how hard I worked on my game and prepared for every single match.

"I’ll ensure that all our guys do the same.

"When it’s time to celebrate I’ll make sure they do that as well. It is an important part of any team."

Ponting is part of a strong Australian flavour at the eighth edition of the IPL, with 26 players either retained by their franchise or picked up in Monday's auction.

The opening match on April 8 is the first of 56 preliminary matches before the tournament culminates with three playoffs and then the final in Kolkata on May 24.

AUSTRALIAN PLAYERS IN THE IPL

Chennai Super Kings: Mike Hussey, Andrew Tye

Delhi Daredevils: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Gurinder Sandhu, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis

Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Pat Cummins, Brad Hogg

Mumbai Indians: Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Finch, Aiden Blizzard

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Steve Smith, Kane Richardson, Ben Cutting

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mitchell Starc, Nic Maddinson, Sean Abbott

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Moises Henriques