While he has only got the opportunity to bat in three out of the six matches he has played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2025 season, Ramandeep Singh has been awaiting an impactful knock for his side in IPL.
Ramandeep Singh, who had been given a role of finisher by then coach Gautam Gambhir and played in 13 matches in Knight Rider’s title-winning campaign last year, had scored 125 runs off 62 balls at a strike rate of more than 200 in those matches and the 28-year-old Punjab power hitter believes that he backs himself to be the finisher for the side this season as well competing against other finishers like Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma in IPL.
Ramandeep Singh said that he is backing himself to be the finisher for KKR this season. The 28-year-old said that he backs himself and tries to be fearless after the 15th over, regardless of the situation.
Ramandeep Singh career a glimpse
Ramandeep Singh was picked by Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2022 as a potential replacement for Hardik Pandya. However, he was released after just playing five games, when Hardik returned to the franchise from Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of IPL 2024. Ramandeep Singh then earned another shot at the IPL after helping Punjab win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in November 2023. As it turned out, Ramandeep Singh didn’t need to chase opportunities – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had been tracking him and signed him ahead of IPL 2024.
He impressed as a lower-order finisher for KKR, scoring 125 runs at a strike rate of 201.61 in nine innings during a title-winning season. Those performances earned him a retention ahead of IPL 2025.
It was during the semi-final of the ACC tournament in Al Amerat against Afghanistan that Ramandeep Singh took another decisive step towards his dream: an India call-up, for the four-match T20I series in South Africa. When the news of his selection broke out, Ramandeep Singh was trying to help India A chase down 206 from a precarious 100 for 5 in 12.4 overs.
He gave Afghanistan a scare, hitting eight fours and two sixes during his 34-ball 64. Even though India A fell short, Ramandeep’s hitting abilities and a catch from a game against Pakistan earlier in the tournament got widespread attention .Ramandeep Singh didn’t need to wait long for his international debut, and he hit a six off his first ball. As he was presented his maiden cap by Hardik, memories from his journey until that point came rushing back.
KKR’s Ramandeep Singh has admitted the team does miss Gautam Gambhir but feels that current mentor Dwayne Bravo brings the same champion mentality to the team. Gambhir guided KKR to their third title last season as he joined the team as their mentor at the start of the 2024 campaign. Under Gambhir, KKR just lost 3 games and won the title.
Bravo was brought in after Gambhir took over as the new India coach and has seen KKR enjoy a mixed campaign so far. The defending champions have won and lost three matches. Speaking at the press conference before the PBKS game, Ramandeep Singh also spoke about the difference of having Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane as captains and feels they both bring a lot to the table.
Ramandeep Singh lavishes praise on Dwayne Bravo
Ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, seam-bowling all-rounder Ramandeep Singh lauded the impact of Dwayne Bravo’s mentorship, adding that he has been trying to bring a champion’s mindset to every member of the team.
Bravo arrived in the KKR set-up as the side’s new mentor after Gautam Gambhir left post the 2024 IPL title win to join the Indian team as their head coach.
“An individual like him (Gambhir), in any dressing room, you’ll always miss him, obviously.”
“But I think DJ (Bravo) has (brought) a very strong champion mindset to the team. His logo is that he’s a champion, and seriously, he’s a champion. He’s trying to bring that mindset in every individual,” said Ramandeep in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Shreyas Iyer had captained KKR to the IPL 2024 title win, but is now the PBKS skipper. KKR are now led by Ajinkya Rahane, and Ramandeep noted that there isn’t much to separate the two in terms of leadership skills.
“To be honest, both of them are very good captains. I don’t think there’s anything lacking in either of them. But I think Ajinkya Rahane brings a lot of calmness to the dugout. He’s the type of player that every youngster should idolise.”
“His personality, the way he keeps himself around the game, everyone knows how he performs. Meanwhile, Shreyas has a very confident nature, executes his plans. I don’t think there’s anything lacking in either of them. But their game of play is different,” he added.
Asked about his role in the KKR set-up, Ramandeep explained,
“I’ve been given a few roles in this team. The situation that the team demands, I try to play according to the situation. Obviously, you learn a lot from every match. I’m also trying to gain as much experience as possible, so that I can make myself a match winner.”
“What works for me is that I try to be fearless. When I think that the first ball is in my hitting area, I try to go for it. I also demand that the situation come in my own way. Like after the 15th over, whatever the team’s plan is. I practice according to that situation as well.”
After playing a stellar hand in the IPL 2024 title win for KKR, Ramandeep made his T20I debut for India on tour of South Africa last year, something which he admitted wasn’t on his mind.
“Individually, if I talk about a year from now, I never seriously thought that I’d debut in India after the IPL.”
“I learned from that journey that one should keep doing their job, and not think about the results. My wish is that whenever I come to practice, I’ll give my 100% and give it my all. The rest is in God’s hands. He’ll make it happen.
He signed off by crediting Punjab’s state T20 league for helping the players put their best foot forward on a big stage like IPL. “I think the Sher-e-Punjab tournament has helped the cricketers a lot. We’ve played in Sher-e-Punjab, and we’ve already played in the IPL atmosphere.”
“We have an advantage from that. You can see from the players that they’re confident when they go on the crease. They don’t have any outside pressure. They’ve already done this. The credit goes to the Punjab team,” he concluded.
KKR will face PBKS in Mullanpur on April 15. The team has a mixed bag of results this season and will be eying their fourth win in this year’s campaign. With only one batsman in the form of Rahane in the top 20 leading run scorers this season so far and none in the top 10 wicket takers this season, Ramandeep Singh believes the team in improving each match.
Also Read: PBKS vs KKR: All Eyes On Shreyas Iyer’s Showdown Against His Former Side