Shashank Singh has revealed his playing XI for Punjab Kings (PBKS) for their first match in the upcoming IPL 2025. The Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings will face Gujarat Titans on March 25 in their season opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Shashank picked a well-balanced playing XI for Punjab Kings with a mix of power-hitters, experienced all-rounders, and a solid bowling attack to face the host Gujarat Titans. His batting unit is packed with aggressive stroke-makers, as the 33-year-old picked Josh Inglis and Prabhsimran Singh as his openers.
Shashank Singh unveils Punjab Kings’ power-packed XI for their IPL 2025 opener against Gujarat Titans
The batting all-rounder kept the PBKS captain, Shreyas Iyer, at No. 3 for stability. Australian all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell will provide firepower in the middle, while Shashank himself and Nehal Wadhera provide finishing strength in the batting department.
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On the bowling front, the right-handed batter’s pace attack features South African pace sensation Marco Jansen and Indian star Arshdeep Singh, while the spin department will be led by the experienced duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar.
He picked Yash Thakur or Kuldeep Sen as the 12th man. According to the right-arm off-spinner, Punjab Kings may tweak their combination based on match conditions. If a higher total is needed, Priyansh Arya could get a chance, while Lockie Ferguson may come for a different scenario.
Here’s Shashank Singh’s Punjab Kings XI for the first IPL 2025 match:
Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Singh Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
12th Player: Yash Thakur/Kuldeep Sen
Shashank Singh picks Top-4 teams in the IPL 2025
Meanwhile, Shashank Singh has made a daring statement ahead of IPL 2025, declaring that PBKS will be among the top two teams and will definitely finish at the top this season. Punjab Kings’ star doesn’t think Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) even has the chance to defend their IPL title.
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The batting all-rounder mentioned that KKR’s 2024 IPL-winning captain is on the Punjab side and that’s why he kept the team on the top and he is confident that they will dominate this season. He challenged that the PBKS would finish at the top, otherwise he would accept all the trolling.
Shashank picked the top four teams in the IPL 2025, and they are PBKS, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and either Mumbai Indians (MI) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be the top four teams in the tournament.
Shashank Singh’s IPL journey
Notably, Shashank has so far played 25 matches in the IPL, and he amassed 423 runs in 19 innings at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of over 161, with the highest score of 68*. Previously, he had been part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (2022), Rajasthan Royals (2019-21), and Delhi Daredevils (2017) in the Indian Premier League.
But he made the debut for SRH in the IPL 2022 and played 10 games for them before finding a new home at PBKS. He played 14 games for the Punjab team, although he didn’t get a game with Rajasthan and Delhi in the world’s biggest T20 league.
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