Follow UsShashank Singh has made two bold predictions about the year ahead: his IPL franchise, Punjab Kings (PBKS), will lift the 2026 title, and he will play and win matches for India in the T20 World Cup scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in early 2026.
“If you ask me about the team, then Punjab is lifting next year’s IPL for sure. And one more prediction I have, and that is in the upcoming [T20] World Cup in India, I’ll be playing, and I’ll be winning games for the team. I don’t know how that will happen, but I surely believe that it will happen,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
The 33-year-old has emerged as one of the IPL’s most reliable finishers over the last two seasons. He scored 354 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65, and followed it up with another strong campaign in 2025 - 350 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 153.50.
Although he is yet to make his international debut, Shashank is inspired by late bloomers like Suryakumar Yadav, who broke into the Indian T20I side after turning 30 and is now the team’s captain and one of the world’s leading batters in the format.
“Surya hit Jofra [Archer] for six in his first match [innings] and now he’s the captain of the Indian team. Then there’s Pravin Tambe. He didn’t play for India, but at the age of 41, he debuted in IPL. Can you imagine that!”
Reflecting on the leadership group at Punjab Kings - captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting - under whom the team finished runners-up in IPL 2025, Shashank was effusive in his praise.
“Shreyas is at a different level altogether. He has his own aura, a different mindset altogether. Won’t talk rubbish, won’t tolerate rubbish. When he bats in the nets, he knows what he is doing. If someone asks me: who is the best captain you have played under? Hands down, Shreyas Iyer.
“And then Ricky sir, he has made the game very simple. Cricket can be a complicated sport at times. If you ask a batsman, the leg shouldn’t go across, the head shouldn’t fall, but Ricky sir has simplified the game brilliantly.”