Punjab Kings (PBKS)’s vice-captain Shashank Singh said on Sunday that he deserved not only to be shouted at but also a slap from skipper Shreyas Iyer for his ‘casual’ running between the wickets against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the second Qualifier of IPL 2025. He also revealed that Shreyas took him out to dinner afterwards. Shreyas led PBKS’ stellar chase in the knockout match, scoring an unbeaten 87 off 41 to help chase a record 204 against MI. But the win became more difficult for him to achieve than it should have been when Shashank got run out for 2 in the 17th over by being lethargic off the blocks and not putting his best effort. In the post-match handshakes, Shreyas was seen hurling abuses at Shashank, which led to severe criticism of him on social media. “I deserve it, Iyer should have slapped me, my father didn’t speak to me till the finals,” Shashank told The Indian Express. “I was casual, I was walking on the beach not even in the garden. It was a crucial time, Shreyas was clear that I didn’t expect this from you but later he took me out for dinner,” he added. PBKS qualified for the final by beating MI but couldn’t win their first title, losing to Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final in Ahmedabad. No better captain than Shreyas Iyer: Shashank Singh Shashank also declared that Shreyas was, for him, the best captain in world cricket with a down-to-earth nature. “Whatever I have spoken to others and seen, there is no better captain than him in current times in world cricket. He gives us freedom, he treats everyone equally. No one will say, Shreyas has an attitude. The youngsters in the dressing room find him to be a chill bandaa. Shreyas is the only captain, who has told us that if anyone has any suggestion during the game, he can come and convey it to him. If he feels it’s the right advice, he will take it. It’s rare,” Shashank said. He finished the season as the second-highest scorer for PBKS with 341 runs and a strike rate of 153.