“I will play all the games” - Prabhsimran Singh credits former India opener for turning around his IPL career

Punjab Kings (PBKS) wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh credited former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan for turning his IPL career around in the 2023 season. The 25-year-old has been part of the PBKS setup since his maiden IPL season in 2019.

However, he played only six games for the franchise in his first four seasons from 2019 to 2022. Dhawan took over as PBKS captain in 2023, and things immediately changed for the better for Prabhsimran.

The youngster played all 14 matches in the 2023 season and scored his maiden IPL century against the Delhi Capitals (DC). He finished the season with an impressive 358 runs at a strike rate of over 150.

Talking about his IPL turnaround in an interview with Crictracker, Prabhsimran said:

"When Shikhar [Dhawan] paaji was appointed as the captain two years ago, he gave me the surety that I will play all the games. In the same season, I scored a century. It was a turning point in my career."

The PBKS opener also thanked former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh for his role, saying:

"Yuvi paji has played a big role in my career. I always talk to him like a brother and not like a player. I, Abhishek, Naman Dhir and Nehal Wadhera practice with him. We had a 10-12 days of camp with him last time around. He knows very well on what exact things we’ve to work on. On weekly basis, I get to speak with him. He has supported me a lot," added Prabhsimran Singh.

Prabhsimran enjoyed his best IPL season in the recent 2025 edition, finishing with 549 runs at an average of 32.49 and a strike rate of 160.52 in 17 outings.

"I haven’t been able to do anything compared to him" - Prabhsimran Singh on the MS Dhoni comparison

Prabhsimran Singh admitted feeling joyous on being compared to the legendary MS Dhoni by former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Matthew Hayden. Yet, the 25-year-old acknowledged having a long way to go before being mentioned in the same breath as Dhoni.

"It feels good to always get compared. MS Dhoni has done a lot for the country. I haven’t been able to do anything compared to him. But, I would love to do a lot. At the end of the day if anyone compares you to a big player, it feels good and you also realize that you have the ability within you," said Prabhsimran Singh (via the aforementioned source).

When asked to pick his cricketing idols, the dashing gloveman said:

"From the start, for me it is Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist. When I started playing cricket, I used to watch Sehwag’s batting a lot on YouTube. I used to play a lot of attacking cricket. My coach used to say that my batting style resembles Sehwag’s. I like his batting a lot. If I get a chance, I would love to meet him and practice with him."

Like Prabhsimran, Virender Sehwag, and Adam Gilchrist played for PBKS at the later stages of their respective stellar IPL careers.