'I was sleeping when I got a message from Ricky Ponting...': PBKS star discloses retention talk before IPL 2025
Prabhsimran Singh opened up on his chat with Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting about retention for IPL 2025 season
Punjab Kings spent only INR 9.5 crore, retaining two players, both uncapped Indians, for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They could have retained high-profile international players, including Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone. But the franchise, looking to start with a clean slate under new head coach Ricky Ponting, instead resigned Shashank Singh, who was first on the list, retained for INR 5.5 crore, after showing his potential as a finisher last season. The other was a player who has mostly flown under the radar yet has been backed through the years in the franchise for his potential. First, it was Anil Kumble in 2022, now Ponting in 2025.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports Press Room with' Punjab Kings for Race To Playoffs', Prabhsimran Singh, in response to a query from Hindustan Times, opened up on his chat with Ponting about retention. He revealed that right around the time the Aussie was in talks to take over the head coach role in Punjab, he had called him up, saying he wanted him to continue his IPL career in the franchise.
The 24-year-old also disclosed that this was only his second interaction with the former Australia captain, the previous being after his century against Delhi Capitals for Punjab in IPL 2023. Ponting was then Delhi's head coach.
"When Punjab was talking about retention, I got a message from Ponting. I was sleeping then. I had gone to play in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, and it was then that I had a chat with him. He really wanted me on the team because he was still in the conversation for the Punjab Kings head coach role. I was thrilled because he was Delhi's coach when I scored a 100 against Delhi in the IPL, and we met after the game. He then told me, 'You have a bright future.' That was the only time I had a chat with him until that call about retention," he told the website.
Prabhsimran opens up on Sachin Tendulkar chat
Prabhsimran went through multiple regime changes in Punjab since being picked as an 18-year-old in 2019. But it was only in 2023, when he had a breakthrough season, scoring 358 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 150.42, followed by 334 runs in 2024 at a strike rate of 156.81. But 2025 has thus far been his best season, having clobbered 292 runs in the first nine games at his best-ever strike rate of 168.79. In fact, in the last three years, his strike rate as an opener in the IPL is among the top five.
But in a team that had the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and a few other seasoned batters, it was always difficult for the uncapped Indian to earn a secure spot in the XI. He even admitted to being left frustrated at not getting enough chances in the initial few years in Punjab, until a chance meeting with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
"Yes, I completed seven years in Punjab, but I barely played in the first three years. Then, there would be the pressure of whether I would be retained or not. I would get frustrated if I didn't get the opportunity to play. Then I would go and start running in the gym. In fact, one I had a chat with Sachin sir. I was not getting enough chances then. So I asked him how to deal with that, especially in such a long tournament. So he said, 'I did not spend much time sitting outside, but if you think that you reached this far in your career, then try to learn things from that because there may be players who might want to be where you are.' So that is when I started looking at things more positively," he said.
Prabhsimran will next be in action on Wednesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium when Punjab Kings face Chennai Super Kings. A win at Chepauk could potentially eliminate CSK from the competition, while it will send Punjab to the third spot in the table and one step closer to making the playoffs for the first time in about a decade.
