Punjab Kings purchased 'wrong player' due to 'mistaken identity' in IPL 2024 auction

Punjab Kings bought Shashank Singh for 20 lakhs in the IPL 2024 auction.

Punjab Kings made a huge blunder in the recently concluded IPL mini-auction 2024 held in Dubai. Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia owned Punjab Kings bid for a ‘wrong player’ due to a misunderstanding of identities. Uncapped Indian all-rounder Shashank Singh was purchased by Punjab Kings in the mini-auction, but it was due to a ‘blunder’ by Punjab Kings table in the auction proceedings. 

This incident happened during the accelerated process of the auction when Shashank Singh’s name was announced by the auctioneer Mallika Sagar. Preity Zinta raised the paddle after a discussion with Punjab Kings and the player was sold to Punjab Kings at his base price of 20 lakhs. PBKS after moving ahead in the auction process realised that Shashank was not the one they were looking for and they tried to rectify their mistake. 

Punjab Kings owner Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta tried to return the player and re-enter Shashank Singh under the hammer but auctioneer Mallika Sagar denied Punjab Kings’ request. Indian Premier League auction regulations also do not allow any team to return the purchase through a bidding process. Once the hammer confirms the winner they are not allowed to trade or return or change the player in the IPL auction.

Who is Shashank Singh?

Shashank Singh is a 32-year-old all-rounder who has played 10 games in Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shashank was part of SRH camp in IPL 2022 and played 10 games for the team. He had a decent performance with the bat and scored 69 runs in 5 innings. His strike rate is 146.82 in the league. Shashank is currently in red-hot form and is scoring the bulk of runs for Chhattisgarh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

This incident suggests the amount of pressure IPL owners face while sitting at the table for bidding wars. It also suggests how important an eye for detail is needed throughout the auction process in the auction. Punjab Kings purchased Harshal Patel (11.75 Crore INR), Riley Rossouw (8 Crore INR), and Chris Woakes (4.20 Crore INR) and a few big names from IPL 2024 auction held in Dubai. 

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