Before IPL 2025 kicked off, Shashank Singh made a bold prediction stating that Punjab Kings would finish in the top 2 after the league stage. The Shreyas Iyer-led side had a brilliant campaign in the tournament, finishing at the top of the table. However, they failed to capitalise on the momentum, losing twice to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, including in the final by six runs.
Chasing 191 runs, Punjab batters had a rough night, but credit goes to Shashank, who played an outrageous knock of an unbeaten 61 runs off 30 balls. History might remember him as a fallen hero but the 33-year-old deserves massive praise for playing a terrific knock under pressure. RCB bowlers were dominating in the middle, before Shashank arrived on the crease and made the opposition sweat.
In 2025, Shashank made 350 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 153.50. It’s fantastic, to say the least, and might even send a signal to the selection committee as India prepare their defence for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026. The team management tested Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube in the same role but they have failed to get going in the recent past. Now, with a few charismatic knocks under his belt, Shashank can very well push for a place in the national T20I side.
India need a finisher and given the confidence Shashank has, it won’t be surprising if the cricketer features in the Bangladesh series. Nevertheless, it wasn’t all simple for the cricketer. In the 2024 auction, there was a massive controversy as Punjab team management was left confused if they had the right Shashank in the auction, as two players had the same name. However, he defied odds with his sensational performances and was eventually retained for INR 5.5 crore ahead of the mega-auction in 2025.
