During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction held in Dubai on Tuesday, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) acquired the uncapped Indian player Shashank Singh for his base price of ₹20 lakh. However, this bid led to a significant controversy.
Following the announcement of Singh’s sale to PBKS, members of the Punjab team management, present at the auction table, interrupted the auctioneer, Mallika Sagar. It seemed that the franchise had inadvertently raised the paddle for the wrong player, causing a commotion.
Punjab issued an official statement on Wednesday refuting the report suggesting an ‘erroneous’ purchase of a player. They emphasized that Shashank Singh was indeed part of their intended target list, dispelling any notion of a mistaken acquisition. The team clarified that the confusion arose due to the presence of two players sharing the same name on their list.
“Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always part of our target list,” stated PBKS in their clarification. “The mix-up occurred due to the presence of two players with identical names on our list. We’re thrilled to have him onboard and look forward to his valuable contributions toward our success.”
It’s All Cool … Thank you for Trusting on me!!!! https://t.co/Gs9hOnRspa
— shashank singh (@shashank2191) December 20, 2023
Shashank Singh, in response to PBKS’ clarification, expressed gratitude to the franchise for selecting him in the IPL 2024 auction, stating:”Everything’s good… Thanks for believing in me!!!!”