Punjab Kings opener | With strike rate being 137.93, Prabhsimran dreams big: ‘Scoring 250 runs is not that difficult anymore’

Having first been picked by the Punjab franchise in 2019, Singh has so far amassed a total of 1776 runs in 71 matches in IPL at a strike rate of 149.37. Prior to this year’s IPL, Singh has scored in excess of 300 runs in three consecutive seasons of IPL starting with his tally of 358 runs in the 2023 edition of the tournament. In 2024, Singh amassed 334 runs at a strike rate of 156.81 in 14 matches before he scored 549 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 160.53. Last year in IPL, Singh was the eighth in the list of most runs scored with his tally of 549 runs and had also hit fifty in five consecutive matches for Punjab Kings. Punjab Kings reached the final of the IPL last year before they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six runs in the final played at Ahmedabad. Singh had also made it to India A side and had hit a hundred against Australia A during the three-match series.

When asked about him eying a spot in the Indian team, Singh was of the view that he still needs to do more with the kind of competition the opening slot sees in the Indian T20 team. “Given how much competition there is, I will definitely have to do more. Less effort won’t get it because the competition is very high, so I have to perform well. But if you take all these things in the spirit of healthy competition, I feel you will grow positively. When you get into the India A setup, you feel that your main goal — to play for the senior Indian team, to represent the country well and play for a long time — is one step closer. You feel like, ‘Yes, I am in India A now, and if I do well, maybe I will get a chance ahead soon.’ So that confidence stays inside you, knowing that you are going to play for India A and if you do well, the ultimate goal of playing for the senior India team is not too far away. So the confidence definitely remains,” Singh said.

In 2024, Punjab Kings had retained Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh prior to the mega auction and Singh spoke about how head coach Ricky Ponting had a talk with him and how captain Shreyas Iyer and coach Ponting have backed him. “It has actually been eight years for me with Punjab Kings now. Obviously, when I first arrived, I didn’t get many opportunities to play. But over the last three to four years, I’ve been getting chances to play, and my effort is always to do better every time I get an opportunity. Sometimes things go well, sometimes they don’t. I also want to thank Punjab Kings for this; I always say this in every interview, that if they have backed me, then it is my duty to pay them back. Regarding leadership, yes, Shreyas Iyer has backed me and in the first meeting also, he told me to play according to my strength and freely and take the team forward. Same with coach Ricky Ponting. When I was retained ahead of the mega auction, he had a talk with me and it showed how he had faith in me and that’s why the team retained me,” saidSingh.

Singh also shared his views about the “impact player” rule in the IPL. “As a youngster, I see the Impact Player rule as a great opportunity for young players, and I have said this several times. Many don’t like it because, obviously, a team can take more high-risk decisions when a player — be it a batter or bowler — is added to the side. But for young players, it’s invaluable. When I joined the Punjab Kings franchise, I spent eight years with them, and for four of those years, I didn’t get many chances to play. Sitting on the sidelines, I always hoped for a shot, and now, because of the Impact Sub rule, I feel the opportunities for youngsters have increased significantly,” said Singh, whose mother had bought home-made food for Punjab Kings team earlier this week at the team hotel with Ponting too enjoying the food.