Kane Williamson, the legendary batsman from New Zealand, was full of praise for Punjab Kings’ middle-order batsman Shashank Singh, who helped his club defeat Gujarat Titans by 11 runs in their IPL 2025 encounter on Tuesday with a scorching unbeaten 44 off only 16 deliveries.

Williamson praised Shashank’s ability to stay calm at the wicket while showcasing a variety of offensive strokes against some of the tournament’s top bowlers.

“Shashank just finished an incredible breakthrough season the previous year. He has lovely hands, is very still at the wicket, and doesn’t move much, yet he has a ton of scoring opportunities. “He can hold his position and play powerful straight drives, but he also has the time to adjust to short-pitched deliveries, whether it’s ramping it over the keeper or pulling off a length,” Williamson said on JioHotstar.

“It’s remarkable how he enters the game in the last overs, with little time to relax, and confidently takes on bowlers. It’s a really tough shot against someone of Rashid Khan’s caliber, whether he misses his length by a little bit and Shashank slaps it back over the square. It just illustrates the player’s caliber,” Williamson said.

Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a game-winning 97 not out off 42 balls, blasting nine sixes and five fours at a strike rate of 230.95, in addition to Shashank’s late flourish.

The way that Shreyas keeps improving his game is what makes him stand out. Teams used short balls to attack him for a while, but he’s now responding well, crushing the short-pitched deliveries, moving deeper in his crease, and de-weighting his front leg. Those bowlers who attempt the “one-two” strategy—going short, then full—find it challenging because of his ability to transfer his weight forward once more. He’s a really strong hitter now that he can reach any part of the field,” Williamson said.

Iyer dominated terms right from the start, and his innings was full of amazing stroke play. “It was a really high-quality knock. He played the ball just where it was supposed to be struck, so it was almost a highlight reel from the first ball. He sought to reach the offside of anything that was outside off stump, and he even hit sixes over cover against some of the world’s top seamers,” Williamson said.

One of the hardest tasks in the game is to face Rashid Khan as well. It was impressive for a leader to take over at No. 3, establish the tone, and confront the greatest dangers from the opposition. “That innings was absolutely incredible,” he said.