Punjab Kings (PBKS) lower-order batter Shashank Singh was handed the captaincy in the second half of the innings against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and he did a good job at that.
Shashank's tactical acumen came to the fore as he successfully led his team to a win over the Royals by defending the total of 219 runs. The Royals reached 209 runs for seven wickets in the chase as Shashank had the last laugh in the game.
Later on, with DC losing to GT in the evening game on Sunday, Punjab Kings, along with RCB and GT were the three teams that booked their playoff spot. Shashank played his part with the bat first after scoring 59 runs off 30 balls and then led his team to a win against the Royals in a crucial game.
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I Will Accept It Happily - Sashank Singh On PBKS Leadership
After the match, Shashank Singh spoke to News 18 and opened up on his aspirations of leading the PBKS franchise. He spoke about leading his domestic team in the DY Patil T20 tournament for five years as well.
“Honestly, I don’t know much about it (chances of being included in the PBKS leadership group). I have been leading in the DY Patil T20 tournament for five years and touchwood, I’m doing good so far. Even for Chhattisgarh, if the management considers me capable of leading the side, I will accept it happily. I feel that I have the ability to lead a side and win a championship. Similarly, if Punjab Kings want to try me as captain, I will definitely grab that opportunity with both hands and make proper use of it. I will be grateful but not expecting anything," the batter added.
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PBKS End Playoff Wait
The Punjab finisher did his job with the bat first and then took over the captaincy from Shreyas Iyer in the chase. PBKS made it to the playoffs for the first time in a decade and Shashank played his part in his team's victory. Punjab has two more games remaining and it will be interesting to see whether Shashank leads in the remaining two games as well.
