Follow UsHe does not have the extravagant hitting of Jitesh Sharma, he might not possess the class of Sanju Samson nor the timing of KL Rahul, and certainly, he does not have the confidence to be as outrageous as Rishabh Pant.
Then, what would make Prabhsimarn Singh outshine the above four-mentioned top-choice wicketkeeping options for India and make his way into the Indian squad for the 2026 World Cup? Well, for starters, his determination and an out-of-the-world season, maybe a career-defining one in IPL 2025.
In the race for the Orange Cup (most runs) after match 54, Prabhsimran is miles ahead of those four with 437 runs in his kitty at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 170.
It has been a season that has defined who Prabhsimran Singh, the batter, is. Prabhsimaran, who started by getting one or two games until the 2023 season of IPL, was not able to express himself in 2023 and 2024, although he had sporadic success in terms of a knock here and a knock there, one of which was his fifty against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in PBKS’ record chase in IPL 2024.
The inconsistency of his form as well as shot selection, can be gauged from the fact that the batter scored only one fifty in 2023 (to go with one hundred) and two in 2024. Come 2025, and he already has four of them to his name and there are at least three matches and at most six for the 24-year-old to make an impact.
The most impressive thing about Prabhsimaran’s current season has been his growth. At the start of the season, it was Priyansh Arya who was doing the damage with his explosive starts, and Prabhsimaran quietly stayed there and built partnerships.
But whenever Arya has been unable to fire, Prabhsimaran, without seeming like attacking the bowlers, has been able to transfer pressure onto the opposition. It is evidenced by his innings builder. The right-hander has struck at around 160 during his first 20 balls, but as soon as he crosses 30 balls, his strike rate jumps to 214.
After his knock of 91 off just 48 balls, Prabhsimran was asked how he planned his innings after being dropped earlier on. Responding to that, the wicket-keeper said, “I got a chance early on, and I was able to capitalise. When you get set, when you have already scored 30-35, you need to convert it into something big. It's good that at times Shreyas is doing it, at times I’m doing it and at times Priyansh is doing it.”
The statement showed maturity beyond his age for the opening batter, that he doesn’t just look to score runs, but values his wicket, not just for himself, but for the situation that his team is in.
His average of 64 in the first phase of the game (overs 1-6) is clearly indicative that he doesn’t go out searching for runs and throw his wicket away. Even today, he got to play only three balls in the first three overs of the innings, but instead of getting bogged down, he capitalised when it mattered most and raced away to 19 off 9, before reaching his fifty in 30 balls.
However, once he crossed the 30-ball marker, he then dispatched the balls all over the park, especially with his pickup shots and inside-out sixes that he hit to the Lucknow pacemen, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav and Avesh Khan.
Describing his knock, Prabhsimran said, “I was set when I was dropped. I wanted to capitalise on the drop. [I] failed to read the wicket initially. It took a little time, and then we decided we needed to make 200. Whatever the situation demands, someone from our batting unit has been stepping up every game and is good that we are winning too.”
It is this maturity, the ability to read situations and the adaptability to conditions that might push his case for an entry into the Indian team. More than anything else, it is his runs that will speak volumes for him, so he must keep them coming.