'Mark Idhar Hai': Punjab Kings’ Andaz Apna Apna-Themed Video With Shashank Singh Is Hilarious

Shashank Singh, reportedly an ‘accidental signing’ for Punjab Kings, inspired the franchise to secure its second win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, April 4. Shashank wreaked havoc at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium when PBKS were chasing 200 runs against a formidable bowling lineup of Gujarat Titans. After the Punjab top order returned early to the pavilion, the uncapped all-rounder sailed his team across the victory line with a blazing 61-run knock which consisted of six boundaries and four sixes.

After the match was over, Punjab Kings shared a hilarious video featuring Shashank Singh on Instagram. The post was meant for those fans, who felt the franchise mistakenly purchased the 32-year-old at the IPL mini-action in December last year.

In the clip, Shashank could be seen pointing at a birthmark on his left cheek, bringing a reference to the 1994 film, Andaz Apna Apna. Starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon and Paresh Rawal among others, the film was a cult classic. “Are main hu Shashank. Mark idhaar hai (Yes, I’m Shashank. The mark is here).” The caption of the Instagram post read, “For all of you who said Shashank Singh was a mistake from Punjab Kings to buy him at the auction! This one’s for you,” the youngstar could be heard saying.

The bidding process of Shashank Singh saw much turbulence at the last IPL auction which was held in Dubai. After auctioneer Mallika Sagar confirmed his deal at the base price of Rs 20 lakh, Punjab Kings owners Pretty Zinta and Ness Wadia said that they were confused about the name of the player.

The list of the accelerated round actually had another Shashank – a 19-year-old uncapped batter. The PBKS management found itself in a tricky situation when Mallika Sagar asked, “It was a wrong name? You don’t want the player? We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down.”

The decision remained unchanged and the Punjab-based franchise later clarified their stance with an official statement where they wrote, “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.”

Shashank Singh, who plays for Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket, is not a new name in the IPL circuit. He has earlier represented three more franchises – Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shashank has featured in 59 T20s during his career and has aggregated a total of 815 runs at a strike rate of over 140.