The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off from March 28 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening encounter of the competition. Although, all eyes will be on the inaugural game but the last edition's finalists Punjab Kings will kick off their journey against Gujarat Titans on March 31 in Chandigarh. Shashank Singh played a crucial role in Punjab Kings' successful journey in the last season and reached the finals. His aggressive batting and match-winning knocks impressed every cricket fanatic in the league. With the commencement of the new season just around the corner, Shashank opened about head coach Ricky Ponting's importance to the team. Talking to WION's Aditya Pimpale in Jio Star Press Room, Shashank spoke about the immense importance of Ricky Ponting in holding the team together. "He's a very key member of Punjab Kings, the way he manages everyone. And by everyone I mean, all the 25 players we have and plus the staff. Because obviously in a tournament like IPL, a good team environment is very crucial and obvious we all know that. He also elaborated the importance of managing each and every player equally when playing a longer tournament like the IPL. "Most likely 15, 18 guys will only get 14 games, or whatever it is, 17 games, so that also matters how he treats all the other 7 guys as well because ultimately skill wise you are equal." Also Read | Can Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Play for India After Turning 15? ICC Age Rules Explained Punjab Kings Aim for Strong Start Against Gujarat Titans Shashank continued saying that the team environment can greatly change the result. He acknowledged Ponting's skills in ensuring that every player feels equally valued. Shashank added: "It's... It comes down to that, what's the team environment, so Ricky sir made sure the team environment is really good and this year also in the first team meeting he has made sure that we would make sure to utilize everyone's performances and we all are equal. Shreyas is equal to that of the youngest player like Vishal Lashar, who is playing for the first time, he is someone from UP." PBKS will be playing against Gujarat Titans in their opening IPL 2026 game on March 31st and the team will again rely on their stars like Shashank Singh, captain Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera and Arshdeep Singh for inspiration.Having reached the runners-up position last year, the PBKS squad will be looking to improve on their performance and claim their maiden IPL trophy this year.