Shashank Singh was bought by Punjab Kings mistakenly after the team seemingly mixed up the name of the player during the 2024 IPL auction on Tuesday (December 19).
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During the accelerated round, Shashank’s name was drawn up and called by the auctioneer Mallika Sagar. The 32-year-old plays for Chattisgarh in domestic cricket and went unsold last year in the auction after being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He found a team for the 2024 IPL after Punjab Kings became the only team to bid for the uncapped all-rounder in Dubai. Just as Sagar brought down her hammer to confirm Shashank was sold to the franchise, the PBKS owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta conveyed to her that they had confused Shashank with another player, seemingly suggesting they bought him mistakenly.
Sagar, however, remained unmoved, saying, “The hammer has come down now,” suggesting Punjab could not go back on their decision and reverse the purchase of Shashank.
Wadia and Zinta were keen to put him back in the auction but any auction rules prevent that from happening after the hammer comes down, which corroborates a purchase.
Speaking about the incident on Jio Cinema, anchor Suhail Chandok criticised the move, saying the franchise seemed unclear with their tactics. “We don’t see that in the auction if you are clear with your plans.”
Mike Hesson, who was an expert on the show, chipped in on Punjab’s performance in the auction: “Not sure what Punjab achieved from this IPL auction. They have a lot of backups but not a lot of substance.”
The most expensive purchase for the side was Harshal Patel, who went to the team for INR 11.75 crore.
Shashank has played 55 T20s, scoring 724 runs at a strike rate of 135.83 and has taken 15 scalps.
