The IPL 2024 auction witnessed a moment of confusion on Tuesday when Punjab Kings co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia appeared perplexed after unintentionally winning the bid for uncapped Indian player Shashank Singh. Despite the apparent mix-up, Punjab Kings decided to proceed with the purchase, welcoming Shashank Singh to their team. The franchise has now clarified the situation, stating that buying Shashank Singh was always part of their plans.
In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, Punjab Kings addressed the confusion, attributing it to having two players with similar names on the IPL auction list. The team clarified that Shashank Singh was indeed on their target list, and they are pleased to have him on board, expecting him to contribute to their success.
“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,” the post read.
Satish Menon, CEO of Punjab Kings, further explained the situation in another post, saying, “Two players of similar names on the IPL list created confusion. I am delighted to share that the right Shashank Singh has been onboarded. He has put out some noteworthy performances, and we’re ready to unleash his talent.”
The confusion arose during the accelerated phase of the auction when Shashank Singh’s name came up. Preity Zinta, after discussing the player with her team, raised the paddle, leading to the player being quickly sold as no other franchise bid for him. It was only later in the auction that Punjab Kings realized their mistake when the next set of players, starting with Tanay Thyagrajan, was brought up.
Despite the confusion and some displeasure voiced by Ness Wadia, the auctioneer, Mallika Sagar, maintained that the hammer had already come down for Shashank Singh, confirming the sale to Punjab Kings.
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