Amid conflicting reports, Punjab Kings say they have picked right player during IPL auction

PTI, Dec 21, 2023, 8:47 AM IST

Punjab Kings on Wednesday issued a clarification that they had picked the right cricketer during the IPL auction in Dubai, contrary to reports that they had bid for a ‘wrong’ player because of confusion in the name.

Shashank Singh was bought during the later part of the auction on Tuesday with franchises looking to add a few uncapped Indian players in the base price range of Rs 20 lakh.

When the auctioneer announced Shashank’s name, PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta raised the paddle and the cricketer was quickly sold. According to reports, the franchise later ‘realised’ that it had made a mistake and approached the auctioneer to reverse the deal.

In its clarification, PBKS said, “Media have reported on Shashank Singh being bought erroneously by Punjab Kings. The Kings would like to clarify that the player 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 on board and see him contribute to our success,” said the PBKS statement.

A PBKS official told PTI on Wednesday that the right player had been picked and he was being scouted by the franchise for quite some time.

“We have picked the right player. He was being scouted by us for quite some time. He is a 32-year-old player from Chhattisgarh who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2022 season,” said the PBKS official.

“Reports are confusing him with a 19-year-old cricketer with the same name.” Punjab Kings, formerly Kings XI Punjab, are one of the eight inaugural franchises of the IPL jointly owned by Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul. The team has never won an IPL title.