The Punjab Kings finished IPL 2025 as runners-up for the second time in IPL history and are among the three teams yet to win an IPL trophy. The PBKS vice-captain has now promised to end the drought in the upcoming season.
The Punjab Kings have been an integral part of the Indian Premier League for over 18 seasons. Shreyas Iyer was named the skipper of the team, while Shashank Singh, one of the two retained players in the side, was named the vice-captain.
The PBKS planned a great auction and did not buy too many players. They kept the core side the same while leaving out the likes of Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell for the upcoming season. They included spin bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly and pace bowling backup Ben Dwarshuis.
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We will rectify our mistakes and make you proud- Shashank Singh
Punjab Kings made it to the finals of the competition in IPL 2025, after they finished at the top of the points table with 9 wins out of 14 matches they played in 2025. They shared a common 19 points with RCB by the end of the group stage, and took a lead based on the run rate.
Despite having made it to the finals, they lost the match to RCB and missed out on laying their hands on their maiden IPL trophy. Shashank Singh was seen leading PBKS at times when Shreyas Iyer sat out for a game or two. Someone pointed this out to the PBKS player.
“No, sir, you are absolutely right. It has been a very long time since it happened—18 years, to be precise. But last year, we learnt many things and rectified some of the mistakes, and this year we will make sure that people feel more proud and we celebrate together,” he said.
PBKS vice-captain backs themselves for a better show at their home ground
Last year, the Punjab Kings didn’t perform the best under home conditions at the new Punjab Cricket Association stadium in Mullanpur in New Chandigarh. They lost many of their home matches and instead won most of their matches across several away venues in India.
Shashank was asked, “The way home ground is always discussed; they say in most matches, Punjab loses at home ground. What do you think about how much they have to learn from their home grounds?”
VIDEO | Mohali: Punjab Kings’ batter Shashank Singh ahead of the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting from March 28 said:
Punjab Kings have not won a trophy and it has been 18 years to be précised, we learnt last year and will rectify the mistakes and make sure… pic.twitter.com/a9JZ0R8jP6
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 19, 2026
“Absolutely, sir, last year, as you said, our results on home grounds were not that good, but obviously this time we rectified many of our mistakes, especially as a batting unit, where we mostly struggled last time. We worked on the technical points, and you will see, this year we are going to perform better,” the PBKS star replied.
We have to repeat what we did last year; there’s not much to plan- Shashank Singh reveals PBKS strategies
PBKS did not bring in many new players, as mentioned previously. They have made only a handful of new inclusions and might not be undergoing any major change in their strategies as well.
“23 out of 25 players of ours are the same from last year, so there is a very good bonding; everyone is aware of their roles and the things that they did last year, which have to be repeated,” he claimed.
He then continued, “I think there is not much to be thought about regarding cricket. The strategy this year would be that we have to repeat our performance from last year because it’s very difficult. We didn’t win in the finals, but you must have noticed that the journey to the finals was good. We just need to keep repeating that.
“Ricky Sir and Shreyas (Iyer), where they live, their combination and their partnership is outstanding; they make sure that everyone stays in their comfort zone and I think the next 2-2.5 months will be a lifetime memory for us,” he added.
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