Suryansh Shedge waited almost the entire season for a proper hit, but insists he was never simply marking time. “I wouldn’t say I was waiting, I was preparing,” the 23-year-old said after his brisk 57 against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night – just his second innings of IPL 2026.
The right-hander walked in at 36 for 4 and, with Marcus Stoinis for company, pushed Punjab Kings from trouble towards respectability. Their 79-run partnership came in only 44 balls; Shedge’s share was three fours and five sixes, damage that included taking 24 off Manav Suthar’s 14th over.
Ambati Rayudu, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, liked what he saw. “Just his confidence in terms of playing those big shots,” Rayudu said. “If you remember, he has won a final. He played a match-winning knock for his team in the Mushtaq Ali final. From then on, being picked in the IPL, being in the IPL and also playing an innings like that…”
Rayudu went further. “He was helped by Suthar definitely in that over – there were a lot of loose balls. But, yeah, he hung in there. He looked like someone who could clear the ground easily. As an Indian player coming into the IPL, if that is your strength, then half the battle is already won. After that, it’s just game awareness that you need to get in.”
Game awareness deserted Shedge late on. Keen to keep the board moving, he fenced at the final ball of Kagiso Rabada’s spell and feathered a catch through to Wriddhiman Saha. Punjab closed on 163 for 9 – competitive, but short of what felt possible.
“I think that was the last ball of his spell. I could have let it go in hindsight when I look at it,” Shedge reflected. “If I would have let it go, maybe we would have scored 20-25 more runs and that would have made things easier. But I still think 160 was a fighting total. And, at the end of the day, when we look back, I think we gave it our all. That’s what matters. [But] I put my hand up. I think I should have stayed there because I was set. And, if I would have let that ball go, things would have been different.”
Punjab eventually lost with one ball to spare. Even so, Shedge’s innings provides a glimpse of a domestic finisher the franchise – and perhaps India – could use. He has yet to send down a single medium-pace delivery this tournament, yet his hitting alone may keep him in the XI for the run-in.
Bench time and big-name advice
Shedge began the season out of the side, watching Punjab piece together six straight wins. The stretch on the sidelines, he suggests, was handy. He spent evenings shadow-batting in the hotel corridor and talking through fields with senior players. Former India captain MS Dhoni, met during a pre-tournament camp, made a lasting point. “Dhoni taught me the importance of staying in the moment,” Shedge said. “He said if you can slow everything down, the ball starts looking bigger.”
Coaches within the Punjab set-up admit they have tried not to over-coach him, valuing the uncomplicated nature of his swing. “You don’t want too many thoughts in a power-hitter’s head,” a support-staff member noted privately.
Room to grow
For all the clean striking, Shedge completed only 29 deliveries. The next step is stretching that to 40 or 45 balls when the situation allows. A strike rate above 190 is valuable; combining it with time at the crease is what turns cameos into match-winners.
Rayudu offered a final, gentle caution. “Six-hitting is great, but there will be days when the ball won’t land in your arc. That’s when the singles and twos matter.”
Punjab sit second on the table. With four league fixtures left, their young No. 6 suddenly looks a central piece of the puzzle. Whether he bowls or not, Shedge’s ability to alter the mood of an innings in ten minutes flat is now on the opposition analyst’s whiteboard.
