Cricket
IPL 2024 Auction: ‘Delighted to have him on board’, Punjab Kings issue clarification over Shashank Singh purchase
“Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list,’ PBKS posted on ‘X’.
FirstCricket Staff December 20, 2023 19:19:45 IST 
PBKS had made a successful bid for Shashank for Rs 20 lakh, and just when the auctioneer was about to call the next player’s name, PBKS co-owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta had informed that they had made an error and wanted to pull out from the bid. Sportzpics
Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday issued clarification on their purchase of all-rounder Shashank Singh at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction in Dubai, saying that the confusion was due to two players having the same name on the auction list. PBKS added that they were “delighted” to have the 32-year-old in their team setup for the upcoming season.
“Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success,” PBKS posted on ‘X’.
On Tuesday, Punjab Kings attempted to withdraw the bid for Shashank Singh during the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai, only for auctioneer Mallika Sagar to turn down the request to do so.
PBKS had made a successful bid for Shashank for Rs 20 lakh, and just when the auctioneer was about to call the next player’s name, PBKS co-owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta had informed that they had made an error and wanted to pull out from the bid. However, Mallika was firm with her decision, saying: “The hammer has come down now.”
Shashank was eventually acquired for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
Shashank was previously part of Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, with PBKS becoming his fourth team.
PBKS spent Rs 24.95 crore at the auction, with Harshal Patel (Rs 11.75 crore) and Rile Rossouw (Rs 8 crore) being their top signings. PBKS last made the playoffs in 2014, when they would reach the final before losing to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the summit clash.
