From the brink of quitting cricket to IPL success: Punjab Kings' all-rounder Shashank Singh shares his journey

Shashank Singh has been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2017 – first with Delhi Daredevils then Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and now with Punjab Kings. But he didn’t get to feature in many matches. However, this season, when he got the opportunity, the 32-year-old all-rounder made sure he became an overnight sensation.

Shockingly, a couple of years back, he was thinking of quitting the game when things were not going right, and he was facing ups and downs in his career. But at that time his family stood behind him and supported him in his struggles and pushed him to continue playing.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Shashank shared his journey and the role of his father, who wanted to see him in the Indian jersey.

“My father is IPS, my sister is a mechanical engineer, and my mother has a doctorate in history. It was my father's dream to play cricket and represent India. Initially, it was not even my dream to play cricket, it was my father's dream. He used to bowl to me and rent grounds for my practice. A year or two ago, I thought of quitting cricket and I thought of doing some business. But my family supported me a lot and urged me to keep playing.

“My journey has the basic ups and downs that are in the life of every professional cricketer. I did not get a chance in the first 2 to 3 franchises I was in, then when I got a chance in SRH, the batting was not good there. But getting a chance in the IPL itself is a big opportunity for any domestic player. “And when I came to Punjab Kings, the management was very welcoming, our practice matches were good and I performed well, so I got a chance here. You go into the match with the same confidence when you stay in a good zone,” he said.

“The domestic season had also gone very well, and I brought the same confidence here. If you talk about the Gujarat Titans’ match, my breakthrough point I would say, I got the opportunity to bat at No.6 when 8-9 overs were left. So, I saw it as an opportunity and thought about how to seize it with both hands,” the all-rounder said.

“Winning the match was not in my mind at that time, the only thing going through my mind was; how to take the match deep. As of now, my journey has been filled with ups and downs but I always have something to learn,” he added.

On April 4, he scored 61 not out in just 29 balls against Gujarat Titans and was instrumental in the victory for his side Punjab Kings.

Last year, he became the first Indian list A-cricketer to score 150 runs and take five wickets against Manipur, during the 2023–24 Vijay Hazare Trophy. In December 2023, he was bought by the Punjab Kings team for the 2024 IPL for Rs 20 lakh.