Preity Zinta bought a wrong player at IPL auction? Punjab Kings clarify

Punjab Kings have issued a clarification regarding their player selection during the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai. Contrary to reports suggesting they had picked the 'wrong' player, the franchise clarified that they had indeed chosen the correct cricketer. The confusion arose due to the presence of two players with the same name, it said.

During the later part of the auction on Tuesday, Punjab Kings acquired Shashank Singh, an uncapped Indian player, for a base price of Rs 20 lakh. When the auctioneer announced Shashank's name, Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta promptly raised the paddle, resulting in the quick sale of the cricketer. However, later reports claimed that the franchise had realized their mistake and sought to reverse the deal.

In response, Punjab Kings released a statement clarifying the situation. "Media reports on Shashank Singh being bought erroneously by Punjab Kings have caused confusion. We would like to clarify that the player was always on our target list. The confusion arose due to the presence of two players with the same name. We are delighted to have him on board and look forward to his contribution to our success," said the IPL team said in a statement.




Punjab Kings official told Press Trust of India that the correct player had been picked and that they had been scouting him for some time.

Punjab Kings, which has never an IPL title, is jointly owned by Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman, Preity Zinta, and Karan Paul.

According to Punjab Kings website, Shashank Singh holds a unique Indian record in domestic ODIs. He scored 150 runs and took
5 wickets against Manipur for Chattisgarh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023, the first Indian to achieve this in a first-class cricket match.

Punjab Kings IPL 2024 squad

Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Chris Woakes, Harpreet Bhatia, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Nathan Ellis, Prabhsimran Singh, Prince Chaudhary, Rahul Chahar, Rilee Rossouw, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Shivam Singh, Sikandar Raza, Tanay Thyagarajann, Vidwathy Kaverappa, Vishwanath Pratap Singh