He has been among the most consistent batters in the recent couple of seasons.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh has made a bold prediction ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. He has been among the most consistent batters in the recent couple of seasons and shown immense potential as a batter despite a late surge in his career.
In a chat with ESPNcricinfo, Shashank talked about a range of things, from the dressing room environment at Punjab Kings to Shreyas Iyer’s man management skills to Ricky Ponting’s coaching methods. He also predicted that PBKS will win the trophy next season, and he will play for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“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.”
It’s a bold claim from Shashank, since he has not been part of the setup even after the recent rise as an IPL batter. He hasn’t even received a call-up for India A, suggesting several others remain ahead in the pecking order, so it’s hard for him to break into the national team for an event less than four months away.
Realistically, it’s hard to find a spot for anyone out of contention in India’s T20I team, given the options already available to work with. The competition has been so intense that players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh have struggled to secure a spot in the XI despite being world-class in their departments.
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However, Shashank Singh offers what few other Indian players do at the moment: pace-hitting in the lower order and useful medium-pace with the ball. Currently, India have Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for this role, and both have been successful lately.
However, Hardik has obvious issues with hard lengths, whereas Dube, despite all the improvements, can still be contained with precise plans by pacers. That’s where Shashank can add value by providing a cushion in the lower order and allowing Hardik to do his thing from the other end.
The management has a liking for multi-skilled players, and Shashank ticks that box firmly because he offers more than handy pace bowling to rotate premium bowlers without compromising batting depth. It is still a distant dream because India are unlikely to bring in a fairly fresh name in the setup when most other players have cemented their spots on the back of consistent performances, but you never know with this think tank.
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