Jaipur: Two months ago, Punjab Kings’ Shashank Singh boldly predicted on a podcast that his team would finish in the top two this season. That statement went viral after Punjab’s commanding seven-wicket victory over MI on Monday.
What fuelled Shashank’s confidence in making such a definitive claim? Speaking after the game, the batter credited the team’s relentless hard work and collective belief.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“It feels surreal. The best thing is we manifested as a team. When the auctions were done, we created an online group and had conversations. We manifested that this year we will win the title. Finishing top two is a job half done. The full job will be done on June 3,” he said.
Of course, the pre-season camps also helped. “The credit goes to the management. We had four or five camps before the IPL and then you can see the results,” he said.
Shashank said Shreyas Iyer’s dynamic captaincy had played a part as well. “Shreyas is very dear friend. I’ve known him for the past 10–15 years, but playing under him is the best thing that has happened to me. He gives freedom to everyone,” he said.
Every successful team follows a culture, and for Punjab it’s about “respect for one and all.” The main motto of Ricky (Ponting) and Shreyas, from day one, was that we need to maintain a culture where we need to care and respect each other.
“They cleared it in the first team meeting,” Shashank said.
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