Shashank Singh credited Punjab Kings’ success to the strong team culture fostered by captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting in the dressing room.
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Punjab Kings’ Playoff Qualification Fueled by Strong Team Culture and Leadership
Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, have secured a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs for the first time since 2011. The franchise will face either Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on May 29 at their home ground in Mullanpur. Shashank Singh, retained ahead of the mega auction, credited the team’s success to the positive culture fostered by Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting within the dressing room.
PBKS sealed their top-two finish after a commanding seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya played pivotal roles in chasing down a 180+ target with nine balls to spare.
At the post-match press conference, Shashank Singh highlighted how Iyer and Ponting treat every team member equally, citing an incident from Day 1 where they vowed to treat senior player Yuzvendra Chahal and the team bus driver with the same respect.
“This is something they have maintained,” said Shashank. “They have shown the same respect to Yuzvendra Chahal and our bus driver, which says a lot about the team.”
Shashank also praised Ricky Ponting for transforming the team culture and instilling self-belief among the players. “He has changed our mindset, our beliefs. The credit goes to him for changing our perspective towards the game,” he said. “Building this culture—caring and respecting each other—was not easy, but he made sure it happened within the dressing room.”
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, sidelined with a finger injury during PBKS’ last two league matches, is expected to recover in time for the upcoming Qualifier 1.
‘Playing under Shreyas best thing to happen to me’
Shreyas Iyer has made IPL history by becoming the first captain to lead three different teams into the playoffs. He took Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020, won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, and now guided Punjab Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2014.
Punjab’s Shashank Singh, who has scored 284 runs at a strike rate of 149.47 in IPL 2025, praised Iyer’s leadership, calling it one of the best experiences of his career.
He added, “Shreyas and Ricky Ponting emphasized from day one the importance of building a culture where we love and care for each other. That was the main motto, and the results will follow naturally.”
