IPL 2026: Amid the hubbub of Sooryavanshi and Arya, Prabhsimran Singh is quietly ‘raising the bar’

Prabhsimran Singh has been a part of Punjab Kings since 2019, when the IPL franchise spent Rs 480 crore to buy the youngster. The hard-hitting batsman has found consistency over the past few seasons, with Ricky Ponting playing a major role in it.

New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab captain on Thursday night Shreyas Iyer Praising Prabhusimran Singh for “raising his standards”. The 26-year-old lit up the Wankhede Stadium with his superb batting, scoring an unbeaten 39-ball 80 against Mumbai Indians to take Kings XI Punjab home. With this victory, Kings XI Punjab are firmly on top of the IPL 2026 points table.Amid the buzz of the six-hitting prowess of teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran’s opening partner Priyansh Arya, the Patiala-born batsman is quietly doing his job – one knock at a time. Prabhu Simran played a key role in Kings XI Punjab’s run to the final last season, scoring 549 runs at a strike rate of 160.53.“I think he has definitely raised his standards, given what he did in the powerplay last season, just swinging wildly. He got us off to a great start despite getting runs. But this time around I felt he had the maturity to finish the game,” Iyer said in his post-match speech, heaping praise on Prabhu Simran.“It’s nice to see young guys come up and finish, take responsibility and say, OK, I’m going to win games for the team. Such a great player, talent, and beyond that, I feel like the more games he plays, he actually becomes (more) mature,” he added.The 25-year-old has been part of Kings XI Punjab (formerly Kings XI Punjab) since 2019, when the Mohali-based franchise spent Rs 48 crore on the youngster.In the first few years, the young man did not get many opportunities. He played just nine games in his first six years. Starting from IPL 2023, he started playing matches regularly. He scored 358 and 334 runs in the 2023 and 2024 IPL respectively, but consistency is an issue.Before IPL 2025, Ricky Ponting I called Prabhsimran Singh, gave him confidence, and assigned him tasks.“The task was to practice his chipping and pulling. Our academy timings started at 3:30 pm, but Prabhusimran used to come at 1:30pm and he worked very hard on his batting in the six weeks before the IPL,” Prabhusimran’s coach Kamalpreet Sandhu told TimesofIndia.com.His performance last season helped him be selected for the Indian A team, which played against the Australian A team in September. He seized the opportunity and blasted 102 off 68 balls in the third unofficial ODI, helping India A seal the series 2-1.Ahead of IPL 2026, Ponting gave him another task, this time to avoid throwing away his wickets in the 30s and 40s.“That has been his problem. He used to play quick cameos and then get out. Ponting told him that since he was good against spin, he could take over for an over or two after the powerplay. He told him that if he held on to the 16th or 17th, his shooting percentage would not drop. It’s all about confidence,” said Kamalpreet Sandhu.In five games this season, the 26-year-old has scored 211 points at a strike rate of 173, including two 50-pointers. He currently ranks among the top five run scorers.rare talentPrabhsimran has been regarded as Punjab’s power batsman since his childhood. The Patiala-born player was extremely talented and after hitting a couple of sixes in an under-14 match at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium, the late D. P. Azad, then chairman of the coaching committee of the Punjab Cricket Association, said he was too good for the U-14 team and therefore he was not allowed to continue playing in that match.“In 2012, Azad sir selected 20 under-14 kids from six districts. I was the coach of Patiala under-14. The likes of Anmolpreet Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Mayank Markande were in Patiala under-14, while Shubman Gill and Nehal Vadra were in Mohali and Ludhiana respectively.“In a match at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium, Prabhu Simran hit eight sixes in the first three overs. Mr. Azad did not believe that the kid was only 11 or 12 years old. After two matches, he said that Prabhu Simran was too good for this level and other kids should not be afraid,” Kamalpreet Sandhu said.“I still remember the words of DP Azad sir: ‘Kamal, take care of this kid, he is special.'” He was gifted with power, a strong wrist and a tremendous power in his batting. ” said Kamalpreet Sandhu, director of Cricket Central Academy.Kamal says there were several moments that changed Prabhusimran as a person. The first was an overlooked one at the 2018 U-19 World Cup, which India won under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw. A frustrated Prabhu Simran vented his frustration after scoring 298 runs in the Punjab U-23 inter-zonal tournament. In his 301-ball career, he hit 29 fours and 13 sixes.That knock helped him attract the attention of IPL scouts and Kings XI Punjab spent Rs 48 crore on the youngster.“DP Azad sir gave us Kapil Dev. One look at Prabhsimran was enough to let him know that this boy was special. Then, in the last 16 months, Ponting has taken his cricket to the next level,” Sandhu said.The second defining moment was when Ponting became the head coach of Kings XI Punjab. Speaking on JioHotstar after the win against MI, the former Australia captain said, “When players feel supported, like someone like Prabhu Simran or Shashank (Singh), they respond with performance and that’s what ultimately drives the results.”More than a decade ago, DP Azad spotted something special in the right-hander and years later, the former Australia captain has taken it to a different level.Another solid season will keep Prabhusimran Singh in contention for an India call-up. The Men in Blue will play 40-plus T20I matches before the 2028 Summer Olympics, where Prabhusimran will challenge the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Priyansh Arya as he has also matured as a cricketer apart from his six-wicket prowess.