Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh sounded confident and positive before the start of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said the team is motivated and believes strongly in its young players.

Punjab Kings Aim for Strong Start

Punjab Kings will begin their campaign against Gujarat Titans on March 31. The team is led by Shreyas Iyer. Last season, Punjab Kings had a strong run. They finished at the top of the league stage for only the second time in their history. However, they lost the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Young Players Key to Success

Punjab Kings’ success last season was largely driven by young and uncapped players. These batters scored a total of 1,519 runs, which was the highest by uncapped players of any team in a single IPL season.

Now, the big question is whether these young players can repeat their performance this year or struggle under pressure.

Shashank Backs Youngsters

Shashank, who has been one of the top finishers in recent seasons, expressed strong belief in the squad. “Everyone is very motivated, very pumped up. So I think that (second-season blues) will never be an issue,” he said.

He also admitted that rival teams may have studied PBKS closely after their success. Still, he feels the team has an advantage.

“Teams must have planned obviously because reaching the final is also a big thing because it is a tournament like IPL where you have 10 champion teams. But still I feel that we have an edge because obviously the way everyone is preparing and everyone is motivated, the atmosphere of the team (is great). So I think, again, this year (we) will have an even better year than last year,” Shashank said.

Focus on Young Batting Trio

PBKS will again depend on its young batting core. Prabhsimran Singh had a standout season, scoring 549 runs at a strike rate of 160.5.
Priyansh Arya impressed in his debut season with 475 runs at a strike rate of 179. Nehal Wadhera also delivered his best performance with the bat.

The team will expect these players to perform consistently again this season.

Ponting’s Focus on Improvement

Head coach Ricky Ponting played a major role in Punjab Kings reaching the final after 11 years. It was his first season with the team. Shashank said Ponting always stresses improvement. “He (Ponting) always says that he wants us to be better than last match. So as a batting group also, like everyone Priyansh, Prabh, Nehal, me, Shreyas, we talk about wherever we made some mistakes and how to rectify it. We have put six-eight camps (in off season) and even though Ricky sir was not present, his inputs were always there.”

He added that the team is better prepared this time. “I think we are better prepared this year, and when it comes to motivation, obviously we are mentally motivated, but our preparation has also been very good since last year. So that’s why I am more confident,” Shashank said.