Why Have 'Unknown Players' Succeeded In IPL 2024? PBKS Star Shashank Singh Explains

Self-belief and the rigours of domestic cricket are the reasons behind unknown players' success in the ongoing Indian Premier League, said Punjab Kings cricketer Shashank Singh, who made yet another statement with the bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur. Chasing 183 for victory, Shashank smashed an unbeaten 46 off 25 deliveries to nearly pull off another heist for PBKS partnering Ashutosh Sharma (33 off 15 balls) but the team fell short by two just runs on Tuesday. Shashank's plucky innings came on the back of an unbeaten 61, which had helped PBKS pull off a thrilling three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans on April 4 in a high-scoring match.

Despite the loss, Shashank received praise from all quarters for showing faith in his abilities.

"The only thing is self-belief. Like the way we play domestic cricket. Like you see SRH's Nitish (Reddy) here. He usually scores and takes wickets in white-ball and red-ball cricket (in domestic competitions)," said Shashank, decoding the mantra behind his and the performance of a lot of youngsters in the ongoing edition of the IPL.

Young Reddy scored a vital 37-ball 64, which lifted Sunrisers Hyderabad to a challenging 182/9.

Besides Reddy and Shashank, the ongoing IPL has also seen a few lesser-known cricketers, such as PBKS' Ashutosh Sharma and Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi, turning the fortunes of their respective sides.

Shashank said the success in IPL has a lot to do with the grind in domestic cricket.

"The way we play in domestic cricket. Nitish and Ashutosh have performed in Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare and Ranji Trophy, (same for) Angkrish," Shashank said during the post-match press conference.

"You can say these players are unknown but they are known players