Prabhsimran Singh said his opening partnership with Priyansh Arya works because both Punjab Kings batters are willing to give up the spotlight when the situation asks for it. The wicketkeeper-batter said the pair, who amassed 532 runs as an opening stand in IPL 2025, have kept that approach alive in IPL 2026 too.
Singh said the idea is simple: if one of them is timing the ball better, the other looks for singles and keeps the innings moving. If Arya is the one hitting freely, Singh said he is happy to help him stay on strike. The pair showed that balance again against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they put on 61 runs in 4.1 overs.
“Actually, in every match, it's not necessary that only my hits are working well or he will be only doing the hitting,” Singh said during a virtual roundtable chat on Thursday, April 9, 2026. “Sometimes, if I'm hitting the ball well, then he gives me a single and we rotate the strike and then I am going for the big hits.” He added that the same thinking works the other way around: “Sometimes, if I'm not getting to hit boundaries, while he's (Priyansh) getting to hit them for runs - it's my responsibility to give him a single and make him hit bowlers.”
That unselfish pattern has helped Punjab Kings get starts that matter, especially in a league where the first six overs can decide the tone of a chase or a defense. Singh said the bond is not limited to the middle. “Off the field as well. Off-the-field, we stay together and talk a lot,” he said, adding that the two speak often about cricket and about life. He said the pair spent enough time together away from matches that the understanding now carries into the innings almost automatically.
Singh said his own batting has also been shaped by regular practice with Yuvraj Singh. “I practice for everything,” he said. “I practice with Yuvraj paaji and it goes well.” Asked about whether he copies senior players, Singh said he does not see it that way. “I can't say I copy them because they are all seniors,” he said.
He did, however, point to MS Dhoni as a keeping influence. “When I would see Mahi bhai keeping, as everyone knows about him, that he has fast hands, it struck a chord with me,” Singh said. “I don't like to bat like anyone else, but I try to keep like Mahi bhai.”
The results have shown up in the numbers. Singh hit 30 sixes in IPL 2025 and finished fifth on the tournament’s six-hitters list, a sign that his power game has become a regular part of Punjab Kings’ batting rather than an occasional burst. He also said the team’s focus is firmly on winning matches, not on individual milestones. “Mainly, like we talk about in team meetings, we don't care if we have to go for the orange cap or the purple cap,” he said. “You have to make such an impact that you can easily win matches for your team.”
That team-first message carries extra weight in a Punjab Kings lineup that includes other wicketkeeper-batters competing for attention around the league. Singh said he is trying to move past the scores in the 30s and 40s that had often ended his innings before, and the longer opening stands suggest that adjustment is taking hold. For Punjab Kings, the next few games will show whether that selfless template can keep producing the kind of starts that turn pressure into control.
