Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
On Monday, May 26, the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets to seal the top of the table berth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, the win came at a crucial juncture for PBKS, as they will now play the Qualifier 1 on Thursday, May 29.
Moreover, with this win, they also ended their 11-drought of finishing in the top two in IPL. This win will boost the Punjab players morale going into the IPL 2025 playoffs, their star all-rounder, Shashank Singh also caught several eyeballs after his prediction of the side finishing in the top two turned into reality.
Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer treat Yuzvendra Chahal same as our bus driver: Shashank Singh
Amidst his interaction post PBKS’ win over MI, Shashank Singh further went onto to make a startling revelation. Singh revealed that Ponting and Iyer had told the team on the first day that everyone will be treated equally, be it the senior most member, Yuzvendra Chahal or their team bus driver. "Day 1, Ricky Ponting and Shreyas both told us. Like, they will treat Yuzvendra Chahal, maybe the most senior player, and our bus driver the same. I mean, this is something and they have maintained this. They have shown the same respect to Yuzvendra Chahal and to our bus driver, which says a lot about the team,” Shashank Singh said.
Furthermore, Singh also credited Ponting for changing the team culture and infusing a positive intent in the dressing room. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Singh added, “He has changed the team culture. He has changed our mindset. He has changed our beliefs. So, all those things, the credit has to be to him. Because, obviously, he is the one who changed our perspective towards the game.”
While PBKS will put behind all this at one side, they will be hoping to comeback stronger in the IPL 2025 playoffs, which is set to commence from May 29. While they will take on either of Gujarat Titans (GT) or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on May 29 in Qualifier 1, if they win, they will direct book a berth in the final. However, if they lose the match, they will take on the winner of Eliminator on June 1 in Ahmedabad.
