The Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings IPL 2024 match was a thriller to the core. After Shubman Gill's 89* took Gujarat Titans to 199/4 in 20 overs, most the Punjab Kings top batters fell on low scores. But one man had some other idea - Shashank Singh. The domestic cricket star slammed 61* in 29 balls (4x6s, 6x4s) to take his team to a memorable win in the last over vs GT. In a team filled with stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran, it was Shashank Singh who did the job for PBKS.
However, Shashank Singh' auction selection lead to a lot of controversy. At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Punjab Kings co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia looked confused after they won the bid for uncapped Indian Shashank Singh. It appeared that the IPL franchise did not intend to buy the player, but then the gavel had already fallen. IPL 2024 auctioneer Mallika Sagar also looked a little surprised as the PBKS management was seen going through the players auction list. However, PBKS decided to go ahead with the buy and even welcomed Shashank Singh to their team through a post on X.
Punjab Kings clarified 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 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success," Punjab Kings wrote in a post on X.
Shashank Singh was brought up in the accelerated phase of the auction, with PBKS and other franchises looking to buy some uncapped Indian players in the category of INR 20 lakh base price.
When Shashank's name was brought up, Preity Zinta raised the paddle after discussing the player with her team. The player was quickly sold as no other franchise bid for him, and the hammer went down.
Shashank Singh has played 58 domestic T20, scoring 754 at a strike-rate of 137.34. The 32-year-old batting all-rounder plays for Chhattisgarh at the national level. He is journeyman of sorts in IPL. Earlier, he has been associated with three other IPL franchises - SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils (erstwhile) and Rajasthan Royals.