New Delhi: Prabhsimran Singh was in the middle of the gym session when the phone call he was waiting for came. After making his debut against the Punjab Kings, the opener made his maiden India call-up for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month.But before he could celebrate with anyone else, Prabhsimran rushed home. Waiting was his father, Sardar Surjit Singh, who is battling serious health problems and is undergoing frequent dialysis. Despite his disability, he often misses watching his son’s matches. When Prabhsimran announced that he had been selected to go to India, speculation began.“Kaafi time ke baad aaya hai paaji. Hum sab wait kar rahe the. Waheguru da shukar hai [It has come after a long wait, paaji. We had all been waiting for it. Thank God]Prabhsimran told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“Papa ki tabiyat aisi hai ki woh khud se uth nahi paate [My father’s health is such that he can’t even get up on his own]. But when we told him the news, he woke up on his own.“If this happiness could improve his health by one-tenth, it would mean the world to me. Woh bas yahi bol rahe the, ‘Ab ja raha hai to neeche nahi aana.’ Aur bas ek hi baat kahi – ‘Aur mehnat karo [He just kept saying, ‘Now that you’re going, don’t come back down.’ And he told me only one thing: ‘Work even harder],’” he said.
After struggling with consistent luck in his early years in the IPL, his breakthrough came in 2023 when he scored 358 runs, including his IPL century. He followed that up with 334 hits in 2024 before hitting another milestone with consecutive 500-plus seasons in 2025 and 2026. More importantly, he started turning starts into more runs, from fifties in 2023 to fifties in 2025 and fifties in IPL 2026.“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time because before I didn’t get enough opportunities to play. When I started getting the right opportunities, I just tried to give my best and things worked out. I’ve had two good seasons in a row. So somewhere, I was hoping that I would get a chance at one of the tours. But I didn’t think too much about it because my attitude has always been the same – whether it’s a regional club game or an IPL game, I just want to do well. IPL is the biggest league. If you do well there, everything gets noticed. I am grateful to have had this opportunity. I am just praying that things will go well there,” said Prabhsimran.
Grinding doesn’t lie
Prabhsimran further strengthened his case after consecutive 500-plus IPL seasons with India A in Sri Lanka, scoring 97 runs in three matches, including a half-century.He has now been selected as India’s second-choice batsman behind Ishan Kishan, while Sanju Samson has been surprisingly left out.One of the biggest improvements in Prabhsimran’s game was his consistency. His aggressive performance at the top has not changed, but in the last few years he has learned to stay longer at the crease and change starts to knock out matches. From scoring 20s and 30s in his early years, he is now turning them into fifties, while continuing to score more than 160 runs. When he received his India A jersey, he summed up his journey with an Instagram post that read: “Grinding doesn’t lie.”
The aggressive opener, who in the past often lost good starts, has learned to turn them into match-winning knocks. He smashed a fifty in IPL 2026, averaging 42.50 at 168.87, while also hitting 23 sixes.Prabhsimran said the change came after he realized that surviving at a high level required more than just starting to explode.“As you know, this is a huge platform. In the past, I felt that scoring 25 or 30 runs was a good start before going out. But in the last two years, I have only had one thing in my mind – if I want to maintain myself at this level, I need to add something to my game. My focus has been on turning 25s and 30s into big scores. Sometimes 25 or 30 runs are important too, but if the team is losing, those runs don’t mean much. My goal is that every run I score will help the team win. When I prepare, I think about finishing the game,” said the wicketkeeper batsman.
Ultimate dream: ‘India ke liye khelna hai’
Prabhsimran’s journey to the Indian team took a different path than many of his peers. While players like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh have made it to the national team in the past, the Punjab Kings opener had to wait for his chance.While his cousin Anmolpreet Singh represented India at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, Prabhsimran missed out on playing in the tournament. Two years later, he led India to the Under-19 Asia Cup title, leading a side that included Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Ayush Badoni to a 144-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final.We have all been playing together since our childhood cricket days. I am very happy with them. We have grown up together. When I saw them making it, I always thought they would get there too. We talk every time he does well. Sometimes I also talk to their parents. We don’t really talk about cricket. Our conversations are about how we are doing and having fun,” said Prabhsimran.“I live with Arshdeep in Punjab [PBKS]. Sometimes Abhishek also stays with us during the housework. I strongly agree with both of them. We have six-hit contests during practice. You learn a lot from each other.
For Prabhsimran, all his endeavors came down to one goal – to represent India.“I have always had one thing in my mind – to play for India. When I got the chance, it was in the Asia Cup. I was made captain and we won the tournament again. Things were moving slowly. If an opportunity arises, thank God for it. If not, keep waiting for your chance and keep working hard. I have always been a calm person. My only dream was to represent India. Now I have made it to the team. It will be big time if I get my first exposure. “If I do well, I will get more opportunities,” he said.
Exercise and maintenance changed everything
Prabhsimran’s success over the last few years has not only been about scoring more runs. Along with being a consistent batsman, he also took on the important role of wicketkeeper in the format.Now the wicketkeeper for Punjab Kings, the 25-year-old believes that the added responsibility has made him fit. Keeping wickets throughout the IPL season, followed by domestic cricket at all levels, has required endurance and consistency, which he believes has also contributed to his growth.“Fitness is very important if you want to be consistent. I am also keeping wickets. I kept wickets throughout the IPL season and domestic cricket. So fitness is something you have to work on. The key is to be consistent in whatever you do, be it acting or coaching,” said Prabhsimran.“It’s because of wicketkeeping. In domestic cricket, you play one-day games, T20s and red-ball cricket. It’s a very long season. If you’re keeping wickets all the time, the responsibility is huge. So I focused on my fitness, batting and keeping wickets. It wasn’t really about losing weight. I was fine even before that,” he said.
The Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting results
Prabhsimran believes that Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting played a role in his transformation by giving him complete freedom and helping him play his natural game.Having held Punjab’s franchise since 2019, he feels his biggest growth came after Iyer took over as captain and Ponting arrived as head coach ahead of the 2025 season. This period also coincided with the most productive phase of his IPL career.
Instead of changing his style aggressively, the support of the team management helped him to believe for a long time and turn promising starts into more innings.“When Shreyas became the captain of Punjab Kings, he spoke to me. He told me only one thing: ‘I am giving you full freedom. Don’t think there is a problem if you go out and play your football.’ When the captain gives you that freedom, you can go back to your game. He also told me that I have been licensed for a long time and should consider myself a great actor. He said, ‘You have my full support. Just get your game back,” said Prabhsimran.Prabhsimran also recalled the phone call he received from Ponting after he was retained by the Punjab Kings.“When Shashank and I were booked, Ponting’s boss called us. The biggest thing that stuck with me was when he said, ‘You are a good player, but I can make you a better player.’ It’s been two years now and my consistency has improved again. He has played a big part in it. They also tell me that if I go out and play a certain film, it’s not a problem. Next time, play the ball again with the same confidence. And if you’re getting out because of not shooting well, work on it and change it to a better way,” he said.
Learning from Yuvraj Singh
Prabhsimran also credits former Indian Yuvraj Singh who played a huge role in his development, both on and off the field.For him, Yuvraj always calls him whenever he needs advice, be it on cricket or life. As his game has evolved over the past two seasons of the IPL and his consistency, Prabhsimran has continued to lean on the former Indian star to guide him.“Paaji has obviously played a big role. It’s very important to have people who can guide you. Whenever any of us – be it me, Abhishek or any other actor – get free time, we can always refer to Paaji. If we want to practice, he arranges it himself. His role has been great. They also explain how you can improve your game,” he said.After receiving the maiden invitation to India, Yuvraj was one of the first to introduce Prabhsimran.“He was very happy. He said the time we have been waiting for has arrived. Now the only thing left is to work very hard. I told him, ‘Paaji is busy right now. I will work with him when he is released,'” said Prabhsimran.
