Shashank praises Ponting, Iyer for Punjab charge

PUNJAB Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh credited coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer for the change in belief, culture and leadership after the side guaranteed a top-two finish in the Indian Premier League this season.

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It was a night of celebration for the Kings after they beat Mumbai Indians on Monday to inch closer to their goal of lifting the title.

But for Shashank, the real celebration, he said, would be on June 3.

The win over MI propelled PBKS to the top with 19 points, although Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) can also go level with them if they win their final group-stage match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

“It feels surreal, to be very honest. It feels really good, really satisfying. The best thing is (that) we manifested as a team — as a team, not individually me, but as a team,” said Shashank said in the post-match press conference. “When the auctions were done, we had a group on WhatsApp and we had conversations.

“So we manifested that this year we will win the title. Our first aim was to finish in the top two, and obviously we have passed that hurdle. But manifesting is one thing, believing is (another). So we worked hard.