Shashank regrets not being able to hit a full toss in the last over of the IPL 2025 final that may have given Punjab Kings, who lost to RCB by six runs, a victory. He keeps replaying the delivery in his mind.
Shashank has had a difficult few days following the IPL final. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first championship, while the Punjab Kings finished in second place. However, the middle-order batter is yet to accept the loss and claims that he could have handled things differently in retrospect.
He recalls the calculation he carried out in the last two overs when Punjab Kings needed 42 runs from 12 balls.
“I had done my calculation of the last two overs. Bhuvi likes to bowl yorkers, so I had planned to get at least 16-17 runs from him. My calculation was that in the last over, our target should be 24 runs in 6 balls. I got only 13 from Bhuvi’s over, though, so the final over runs needed was 30,” Singh told the Indian Express.
Singh remembers those stressful times. He was aware that he needed to connect each of the next six balls in order to max out. It would have been a miracle if he had, but he adds that calculations don't always work out.
“Mentally, my mind was ready to get a first-ball yorker from Hazelwood. So I had positioned myself, but I never anticipated a full toss, especially on my thigh pad. Now I feel that if I had connected it, even if I got it on the handle of the bat, I would have gotten the maximum because the fine leg was near. I was hoping for a wide from him, but it never came. When I saw the scoreboard stating the last ball needed 12 runs, I knew it was all over,” he adds.
Shashank finished unbeaten on 61 off 30 balls, six runs short of the mark, after scoring 22 runs in the last over. He pondered whether things could have turned out differently if he had made a better connection in the first two balls of the over.
The longest trek he had ever experienced was undoubtedly the one to the changing room. Shashank couldn't contain his emotions of disappointment at not winning their maiden championship, just as Virat Kohli couldn't contain his tears of happiness. Facing the final ball, he started crying.
“I’m a strong person, but I couldn’t control myself when I hit that six on the fifth ball, and I saw 12 runs needed off the last ball. I realized it’s all over. When I came to the dressing room, everyone came and said, Why am I crying? I told them, Mujhe apne aap aansoon aa raha hai,” he stated.
It has been more than three days since the final. However, Shashank notes that everyone who has met and praised him; it’s always with the rider: “Bhaiyya woh full toss ball mar dete.”
“People appreciated my batting wherever I have gone, but all are reminding me of that one full toss miss. Mujhe bahut bura laga. The ball was on my hip, my square leg was up, and I just had to get that bat, which I couldn’t. From hotel to airport to ground to home, everyone had that one point, bhaiyya woh ball mar dete bas,” he said.
Shashank acknowledges that Nehal Wadhera and he ought to have completed the match. He believed that because the top order was playing well, he would never get his chance to face the ball when the team went in to bat.
He employs the phrase "hindsight" multiple times in the talk, and "could have done that" appears frequently. In actuality, however, his crew had lost sight of the prize.
