Shashank Singh appeared at his devastating best in the Punjab Kings’ last Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Titans on Thursday, April 4. The 32-year-old all-rounder struck a quickfire 61 off 29 balls, helping his team chase down a 200-run target at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Shashank arrived at the crease in a crunch situation when PBKS had already lost four wickets at a score of 70. He took only 25 balls to breach the 50-run mark. After Shashank completed his half-century, the camera panned towards the PBKS dugout and it was awkwardly silent.
pic.twitter.com/wQw77qK0Op— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) April 5, 2024
From captain Shikhar Dhawan to pacer Arshdeep Singh, every member of the Punjab squad seemed unfazed by the feat of Shashank Singh. The moment soon became viral, with fans slamming the PBKS players for the weird behaviour. Even Akash Chopra, who was serving commentary duties for the official broadcaster, also pointed at the matter on air.
When Shashank Singh reached his fifty, Punjab Kings still needed 31 runs off 14 balls to win the away match. After the video surfaced on the internet, many fans said that the other players were perhaps concerned about the outcome and that’s why they were looking very serious. However, there were times when teams appreciated an individual performance even if the result did not go in their favour.
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Some fans also referred to a controversial event involving Shashank Singh that transpired at the IPL 2024 mini-auction which was held in Dubai in December last year. The name of the uncapped all-rounder came out in the accelerated round and Punjab Kings secured his signing at the base price of Rs 20 lakh.
After auctioneer Mallika Sagar confirmed the deal, PBKS owner Ness Wadia and Pretty Zinta seemingly realised that they had signed the “wrong” Shashank as a 19-year-old youngster of the same was also on the list. They revealed their confusion to Mallika, who said, “It was a wrong name? You don’t want the player? We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down.”
PBKS, however, later clarified the fact that the signed Shashank Singh was the player they targeted. In an official statement, Satish Menon, the CEO of the franchise, wrote, “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.”
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.– Satish MenonCEO, Punjab Kings.
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 20, 2023
As far as Shashank Singh’s career is concerned, the batting all-rounder has featured in 59 T20s in his career and has recorded 815 runs at a strike rate of 141. Shashank, who made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022, was not part of the last season as he went unsold at the previous year’s auction.
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