Punjab Kings deny they bought wrong player in IPL auction, say they always wanted Shashank Singh
Punjab Kings deny that they signed the wrong player in Tuesday's IPL auction; there was confusion after Kings bought Shashank Singh but franchise say that was down to "two players of the same name being on the list"; Kings "delighted to have Shashank onboard" for 2024 season
Wednesday 20 December 2023 13:38, UK
IPL side Punjab Kings have confirmed that they intended to sign Shashank Singh in Tuesday's auction after footage appeared to suggest they had bought the wrong player.
When Shashank's name came up, Kings co-owner Preity Zinta raised the paddle and with no other side coming in for the 32-year-old he was sold for 20 lakh (around £19,000).
As the auction progressed in Dubai, Kings - coached by former England head coach Trevor Bayliss - seemed to flag the error to auctioneer Mallika Sagar.
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Sagar said, "it was a wrong name? You don't want the player?" before telling Kings that the bid had been accepted and could not be reversed.
A statement released by Kings on social media platform X on Wednesday read: "Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list.
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"The confusion was due to two players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success."
Punjab have failed to make the IPL play-offs for the last nine seasons since winning the competition for the first and only time in 2014.
They signed England's Chris Woakes for £400,000 on Tuesday with the all-rounder joining international team-mates Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone at the franchise.
The 2024 IPL is set to take place across March, April and May.
