Bhai kya comeback maara PBKS ne is baar! 2014 ke baad pehli baar top-2 finish mili league stage mein. Aur yeh sab hua May 26 ko, jab unhone Mumbai Indians ko Jaipur mein 7 wicket se dhoya. Pure tournament ka vibe hi alag tha — Shashank Singh ne toh pre-season hi bol diya tha ki “Top 2 mein rahenge, dekh lena”… aur bhai, banda sahi nikla!
Ponting + Shreyas = Culture Reset
Shashank ne baar-baar bola ki Ricky Ponting aur Shreyas Iyer ne team ka pura environment hi badal diya. Ponting ka fearless Aussie attitude + Shreyas ka calm leadership — deadly combo! Team ka sabse bada mantra tha “sabko respect milega” — chahe wo Yuzi Chahal ho ya bus driver. Sab ek family jaise feel karte the.
Shashank ne bola:
“Day 1 se hi Ricky aur Shreyas ne bola tha ki sabko barabar treat karenge. Aur waise hi kiya bhi.”
Koi ego nahi, koi star culture nahi. Bas ek hi goal — team jeetni chahiye.
Selfless Vibes: Team First, Records Baad Mein
Ek match tha GT ke against (March 25), jahan Shreyas 97 pe not out tha, aur fir bhi usne Shashank ko bola:
“Mere hundred ki chinta mat kar, tu jaa aur game khatam kar.”
Shashank gaya aur Siraj ko last over mein 23 run thok diye. Pure match ka turning point ban gaya!
Manifestation Game Strong Tha!
March 17 ko Shashank ne ek podcast mein bola tha ki PBKS top-2 karega. Tab sab hans rahe the, par ab banda viral ho gaya! Team ne auction ke baad ek WhatsApp group banaya tha jahan sirf ek hi agenda tha — “Is saal trophy uthani hai.” Shashank ne bola:
“Sirf sochne se nahi hota, belief aur hard work bhi chahiye hota hai. Sabne milke kiya.”
Desi + Videshi Combo Se Squad Solid Bana
Auction mein PBKS ne sirf Shashank aur Prabhsimran ko retain kiya, aur Arshdeep ko RTM se 18 crore mein wapas liya. Shreyas ko toh 26.75 crore mein laye — aur banda worth every penny nikla.
Team mein aaye Australian beasts jaise Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, aur Bartlett. South African Marco Jansen bhi achha perform kar raha tha (playoffs ke liye miss karega WTC ke chakkar mein).
Par assistant coach James Hopes ne bola:
“Team ki jaan Indian talent hai — Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Arshdeep, Shashank — sabne aag lagayi hai.”
Match-Winning Moments
- GT ke against: Shreyas 97*, Shashank 44* off 16 – total 243 banake jeete.
- MI ke against: Priyansh 62 + Inglis 73* = 7 wicket se jeet, top-2 pakka.
- KKR ke against: Sirf 111 defend kar diya! Arshdeep ne kamaal kiya death overs mein.
Shashank ka overall season:
- 284 runs, avg 56.8, strike rate 149+, 2 half-centuries, killer finisher role.
Ab Nazar June 3 Pe – Trophy Time?
PBKS Qualifier 1 khel raha hai May 29 ko Mullanpur mein. Top 2 hone ka matlab: 2 mauke milenge final pahuchne ke liye. Marco Jansen miss karega, par Shashank bola:
“Har match mein ek naya hero nikalta hai – kabhi Shreyas, kabhi Josh, kabhi Arshdeep. Yehi hai team game.”
Aur haan — uska bold prediction tha:
“June 3 ki raat ko main bolunga – hum duniya ke top pe hain.”
