Why Shashank Singh is not playing today's match vs RR in IPL 2026?

Shashank Singh, the PBKS vice-captain, has been dropped for their match against the Rajasthan Royals, which is a massive clash for the two top-tier teams in this edition of the IPL. Punjab Kings have been the most dominant team in this edition of the competition.

The runners-up from the last season of the IPL have been on an undefeated streak this season and have secured the top spot in the points table with 13 points after seven matches, as only one of their matches ended in a draw due to rain playing a negative role.

Why has Shreyas Iyer dropped Shashank Singh against RR?

Shreyas Iyer lost the toss against Riyan Parag at the home ground of the Kings in New Chandigarh, where they had not lost a single game in this season so far, despite massive scores being piled at this venue.

Shreyas Iyer, during the toss, revealed that they have a forced change as Shashank Singh has been dropped from the XI and has been replaced by Suryansh Shegde, the Mumbai-based batter.

"We would have loved to bowl first as well because I asked one of our team members; he told me that the wicket was basically covered for a couple of days due to bad weather, but other than that, I personally feel that any time you bat or bowl, it's a great challenge, and all of us are pretty proactive irrespective of the decision of the toss," said Shreyas Iyer at the toss.

"We have one forced change. So, Suryansh (Shedge) comes in for Shashank, which is a forced one, and the other one is Lockie (Ferguson), who comes in for X (Xavier Bartlett). All the individuals have certain goals. So far it's going well. I want to share condolences to Azmat and his family," he added.

Are drop catches the real reason behind Shashank Singh's snub from the PBKS XI?

Shashank Singh's role with the bat has been very limited this season; however, he has not disappointed them whenever he has been asked to rescue them with the ball. He has bowled some spectacular overs with the ball this season.

On the other hand, Shashank Singh has been poor on the field, especially not being able to hold onto catches. Singh has missed around four catches in the last two games and has had a distressful outing despite PBKS winning on both occasions.

He dropped KL Rahul in the last game, who went on to add 140 runs alone and set a massive total for the Kings. Shashank was also seen struggling with his hamstring in the last game, which might also be one of the reasons behind his absence, which Iyer did not reveal at the toss.

Lockie Ferguson, the ace NZ pacer, return for PBKS in IPL 2026

While Punjab Kings have been exceptional with the bat on every occasion, they have struggled with the ball in particular. Though their death bowling has been comparatively impressive, their new ball bowling has been very poor.

Lockie Ferguson has returned for the Punjab Kings this season after not being available in the starting games due to personal reasons. Xavier Bartlett, who went for too many runs in the last game, has finally been released from the XI.

In this crucial clash against RR, where PBKS looks to maintain their undefeated streak, Lockie Ferguson has been drafted into the XI and will be seen in action for the Kings.

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