The Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings IPL 2024 match was a thriller through and through. After Shubman Gill’s 89* took Gujarat Titans to 199/4 in 20 overs, most of Punjab Kings’ top batters fell to low scores. But one man had a different idea: Shashank Singh. The domestic cricket star hit 61* in 29 balls (4x6s, 6x4s) to take his team to a memorable win in the last match against GT. In a team full of stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran, it was Shashank Singh who did the job for PBKS.
However, Shashank Singh’s auction selection sparked a lot of controversy. At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Punjab Kings co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia looked confused after winning the bid for uncapped Indian Shashank Singh. It looked like the IPL franchise had no intention of buying the player, but by then the gavel had already fallen. IPL 2024 auctioneer Mallika Sagar also looked a bit surprised as the PBKS management went through the players auction list. However, PBKS decided to go ahead with the purchase and even welcomed Shashank Singh to their team via a post on X.
Punjab Kings made it clear that buying Shashank Singh was always in their plans.
“Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to two players with the same name being on the list. We are happy to have him on board and see him contributing.” to our success,” says Punjab. Kings wrote in a post on X.
Two players with similar names on the IPL list caused confusion. I am happy to announce that the right Shashank Singh has been hired. He has put in some remarkable performances and we are ready to unleash his talent.
– Satish Menon
CEO, Punjab Kings.— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 20, 2023
Shashank Singh came up in the fast-track phase of the auction, with PBKS and other franchises looking to acquire some uncapped Indian players in the base price category of INR 20 lakh.
When Shashank’s name came up, Preity Zinta raised the paddle after discussing the player with her team. The player was quickly sold as no other franchise had bid for him, and the hammer came down.
Shashank Singh played 58 domestic T20 matches and scored 754 at a strike rate of 137.34. The 32-year-old batting all-rounder plays for Chhattisgarh at the national level. He is a journeyman of sorts in IPL. Previously, he was linked with three other IPL franchises – SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils (formerly) and Rajasthan Royals.
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