The Punjab Kings star Shashank Singh seems to take a long time to move on from the heartbreak of 2025 Indian Premier League final, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. PBKS was a hit away, with Shashank on strike, and it has haunting him for a long time, as he recalled it again in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo. Coming down the order, Shashank still managed to be the fifth-highest run-getter (350 runs in 17 innings), maintaining a strike rate of 153.50. The designated finisher of the team still laments for not being able to win and still thinks of the "what ifs." Shashank said, "You say things [like] the sun will rise tomorrow, there will be another day. These things are nice to say and hear. It is very important to move on in cricket, but sometimes it doesn't happen. The next ten to 14 days were very tough for me." He added, "Every ball. I remember every ball even now. Where could I have been better? Should I have attacked Krunal Pandya? Should I have gone after Romario Shepherd a little early? Should we have done better [in] the field? What could I have done differently? I have moved on, obviously, and there are lots of things to look forward to. But yeah, sometimes it still hurts." Read also: Watch: MCG Installs Drop-in Pitches Ahead of India Series and Ashes 2025 Shashank Singh credits his unsold 2022 year Shashank feels that the 2022 auction helped him a lot- the auction he was unsold but gritty enough to come back. 2022 kept him grounded, and realize that sport is the ultimate. Shashank felt that he started loving the sport more after that year, and started working on his skills. He further said, "Till two years back, I used to say that cricket is a part of your life, not your life. But I've realised lately that cricket is my life. I don't know what I will do without this sport. If someone asks me my plans after five-six years, I get scared because this sport has become my life." Shashank recalled the T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav's advice that "players who bat at No. 6 and 7 get judged the most." Shashank has always been a middle-order batter, having better opportunities to score runs. However, the urge to be the hero of the team got him molded according to the needs of the team. He particiapted in the DY Patil tournament in February 2023 in Mumbai and explored his role as the finisher. In 2025, he scored 242 runs in the last five overs, the highest this season. Read also: IPL gives money; Test cricket gives respect: Arshdeep Singh Shreyas wont talk rubbish: Shashank Singh The duo Shreyas Iyer and Shashank Singh have a great bond, with the latter being lovingly called Chhota Sarpanch. Speaking about Iyer, the 34-year-old batter expressed his admiration, saying the captain won't tolerate rubbish in the team. He said, "Shreyas is at a different level altogether. He has his own aura, a different mindset altogether. Won't talk rubbish, won't tolerate rubbish. When he bats in the nets, he knows what he is doing. If someone asks me: who is the best captain you have played under? Hands down, Shreyas Iyer." The head coach, Ricky Ponting looks to neutralize the seriousness in the camp, as according to Shashank. To give a sketch of how understanding Ponting is, he remembered how he never had net session, which even had irked Shreyas. However, Ponting was easy with that. He said, "Even on non-match days there is a little pressure on everyone involved. Sometimes when batting in the nets, if you miss a few balls, if you mistime a few shots, there is added pressure on yourself. If I play a bad shot in the nets, I start thinking about that one shot rather than the other good shots I played. And I don't know how but Ricky sir understood this."