[2] During his reign, Singh through many battles and conflicts, made Patiala the most powerful state between the Yamuna and the Sutlej rivers of North India.

[12] Fateh Kaur later persuaded both brothers to compromise, with Singh's ascension recognized and Himmat being allowed to retain his possessions.

[6] Singh's reign as the Raja of Patiala began in 1765, and with the help of his grandmother Fateh Kaur, he secured his succession against revolts from some of his family members.

In 1767, Ahmed Shah Abdali, the founder and king of the Afghan Durrani Empire, launched his last invasion campaign into Punjab.

[3] In 1767, Singh's relationship with Durrani prompted other Sikh leaders to argue for the invasion of Patiala; however, Ahluwalia forbade them from doing so.

[4] Historians have speculated that, had he lived another twenty years, two powerful Sikh polities might have emerged: the Sikh Empire extending up to the Sutlej and the Patiala State spanning from the Yamuna to the Sutlej and from the Shivalik hills to the Thar Desert area near Bikaner.

[4][5] A powerful and larger Patiala State could have caused the British Empire to halt its expansion at Delhi and remain satisfied with the Patiala polity as the buffer state between the Sikh Empire and Delhi.

[4][5] This, along with the historical consensus that Singh's successors who ruled Patiala were considered primarily frivolous or hedonistic, has led historians to consider Singh's early death a tragedy for the history of both Patiala and Punjab.