Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh praised PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer saying he has a very sharp mind for cricket.
Shashank said Iyer gets everyone involved, his way of leading goes beyond the playing eleven.
Iyer took Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2024. The next year the team released him and Punjab Kings picked him up in the 2025 IPL mega auction.
Iyer then became the captain of PBKS and took them to the IPL 2025 final where they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by 6 runs.
Shashank Singh told ANI, The way he mixed up the bowling and set the field, he has a great cricket brain. He stays calm and knows how to handle players even the ones who are not playing. That’s a tough thing to do especially in the IPL. He’s very good at all that.
Singh spoke about meeting PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting and praised how humble he is and how much he knows about cricket which is true to his reputation.
It was a great experience [With Ricky Ponting]. I had heard a lot about him so when I met him I saw he was a really good down to earth person and he really knows his cricket, Shashank said.
Shashank Singh who bats in the middle order for Punjab Kings has played for many IPL teams like Delhi Daredevils (2017), Rajasthan Royals (2019) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2022). In 33 IPL innings he has scored 773 runs averaging 40.68 with a high score of 68* and five half centuries showing he can finish strong.
Singh had a great season in IPL 2025 scoring 350 runs in 14 innings with a strike rate of 153.50 which helped PBKS to reach the final. He played a big role like when he scored an unbeaten 61 against RCB in the final.He got noticed after scoring an unbeaten 61 off 29 balls for Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024. Being not out at the end is what a finisher does and Singh did it more than anyone else in IPL 2025. He was not out in 7 of the 14 innings he played.
Singh said a finisher needs to be flexible, smart and good under pressure, mentioned MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Yuvraj Singh as examples. He especially praised Yuvraj for his role in India’s 2007 and 2011 World Cup wins.
A finisher has got to be able to change their game on the fly. So they adapt to what is happening and think their way through pressure. I look at guys like Mahi bhai who have done it so many times for India and are doing it even now with Hardik Pandya. Yuvi Pazi, I truly give him a lot of credit; how he handled that pressure, especially in a World Cup situation.
Shashank said the experience has made him a better cricketer. In fact, he has been through some tough situations playing for the state team as well as in the IPL. Shashank felt he was ready for pressure and confident to perform at the highest level himself.
I think I’ve gotten smarter over time, and I try my best for my state team too. So, if I get a situation like that in the IPL or for India in the future, I’ll be ready for it. I think I’ve done numbers 5, 6, and 7 for my state team and for the IPL team, so I think I’m pretty ready for the highest level, he finished.
