Under Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have become a real force. The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season saw the franchise reach its second final, and the team made a strong start in this year’s tournament as well. Unbeaten in the first seven games, the team was expected to make the playoffs and was one of the favourites to lift the title. However, the wheels came off in the latter phase of the competition, where PBKS won just one game.
Eventually, the Punjab Kings failed to reach the playoffs, and the major reason was the fielding lapses. Shashank Singh, the all-rounder, was right at the centre of these lapses as he dropped quite a few catches.
Shashank has learnt from his mistakes, putting in the hard yards to ensure similar mistakes are not repeated in the next season. PBKS have already begun preparations for IPL 2027, as the management has arranged an off-season camp for some of the players, such as Praveen Dubey, Shashank, Prabhsimran Singh, and Nehal Wadhera, in New Chandigarh, and the proceedings are being overseen by bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves.
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As the players continue to prepare for the upcoming gruelling domestic season, Hindustan Times Digital caught up with Shashank. The 34-year-old recently parted ways with Chhattisgarh cricket. In a free-wheeling interview, Shashank opened up on what work he has been putting in behind the scenes and how the main area of focus remains the fielding department for him.
Excerpts:
Can you give us an insight into what goes on in the off-season camp?
Obviously, it’s very important. I mean, these off-season camps have been going on for just 2-3 years. So it’s basically just to take care of the players year-round. Because obviously, 2-3 months in a year, like from March to June, we play a lot of cricket. So, obviously, it’s very important for the support staff to understand what our body is, what our mindset is.
And exactly how they want us to play, to get the clarity about our roles as well. So, that is why I mean these camps are mostly skill-based camps, plus the mental setup as well. Like what our coaches are expecting from us, and what exactly we want from the franchise, or what our mindset exactly is.
You are one of the most experienced players in the PBKS set-up. In the camp, there are several young players, including Nehal Wadhera and Praveen Dubey. What sort of conversations have you been having with them?
Technically, it’s the first camp after the IPL. So, it’s quite a chill camp. Like, obviously, we are just getting to know how they are planning for the domestic season and the IPL. And what other things can we include in our skill set to do better during the IPL, and what we could have done better earlier in the season? So, it’s just casual conversations which are going on. It’s more about the fun thing and about the body, how the body is and everything. So, it’s more about that.
Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting are the two lynchpins at PBKS. How involved are they with their inputs during the off-season, and do you rely on their feedback during this phase?
I mean, Ricky, sir, he is in touch with most of the coaches. So, obviously, with the practice and fitness videos, he keeps seeing videos like the ones we are doing. And he gives us advice on what we can improve. And plus Shreyas as well. Like Shreyas is in constant touch with the management. And obviously, whenever I meet him, I ask him what we can do better as a team and how I can help. Like how I can give the team better things, like with my bowling ability, with my batting, and how I can improve my fielding as well.
So, there are so many things I discuss with Shreyas. But they are in constant touch with the management and keeping an eye on us.
PBKS was looking like the team to beat this season as well, but the wheels sort of came off in the final phase. Three months have passed now. Have you been able to pinpoint what exactly went wrong?
There are many factors to be very honest. I mean, when you play at the upper level, there are moments you have to win in the game. Like obviously, the first seven games where we won six [with one being a washout]. So, there were moments where we did the right thing. In the next six games, we didn’t do great. I mean, those were the lessons for us. I mean, there were moments when we could have done better. I mean, batting, bowling, fielding, with everything you say.
But if you are telling me to pinpoint anything, then there is nothing to pinpoint exactly where we made mistakes. Because obviously, the initial seven games that we played, I mean, the latter half of the game, the team was the same. There was no injury concern as such. It’s just that in those moments, we could have done better. We could have been more proactive, but we weren’t. So, that is why the result didn’t go in our favour.
But again, you learn. When you play sports, you learn. So, obviously, there are good learnings for us. Hopefully, we will come back stronger next year.
I also have to ask you about the fielding bit. You take a lot of pride in your fielding. But the last season was kind of an anomaly. Are you focusing on this department to make sure the same errors are not made?
Exactly. I mean, fielding. I mean, what I felt personally, like whenever I dropped those catches, I wasn’t enjoying that too much. Because there was more of a mental setback than a technical aspect. But again, yes. I mean, this year, really, I want to focus more on the bowling and the fielding as well. Because of batting, I think I did well in the last three seasons. So, obviously, batting, I don’t think I need to work on that aspect of the game too much.
But then again, the bowling and fielding part, I mean, I am working really hard. And that is why, for me, these camps are even more important. Because we also get feedback from the coaches on how we can get better. Hopefully, next year you will see me as a better fielder and a better bowler as well.
Lastly, I have to ask you about your fitness. How do you go about it in the off-season?
This particular camp is both skill and fitness. But what I am hearing is that we may have more of these fitness camps before the next IPL. So, this one has more to do with the strength and conditioning. It’s more about endurance, speed work, and agility work. And skill-wise, I mean, everyone has a specific thing, specific targets. Like, I have a few targets, specific targets for me. Prabhsimran Singh has a few. Nihal Wadhera has a few. So, I think we are working on that. And we will be in better shape during the IPL.