'It’s all cool' - Accidental purchase Shashank Singh responds to Punjab Kings' welcome message

The IPL Auction 2024 ended successfully on December 19 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. As many as 72 players were sold amassing more than INR 230 crore in total. While Australia's pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins made headlines for their massive bids, it was an uncapped player Shashank Singh who caught everyone's attention in an unexpected manner.

During the auction, Shashank's namesake was mistakenly bought by Punjab Kings. The co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia did request to forfeit the bid, however, the auctioneer Mallika Sagar stood against their demand. Eventually, it gave one of the most dramatic bids in the history of the Indian Premier League, as the player went to Punjab's kitty for his base price of INR 20 lakh. A debate emerged out of the bidding row for Shashank Singh, and many opined their feelings for the player that was actually intended to be bought in the first place.

However, in order to clarify the accidental bid, Punjab Kings have released a statement through their various social media accounts to enlighten the matter. PBKS wrote on X, “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 31-year-old also took the matter positively and re-quoted the post. "It’s All Cool … Thank you for Trusting on me!!!!," captioned the cricketer. Notably, Shashank Singh has been a part of Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past, and will now be donning the Punjab jersey for the 2024 edition.

See Shashank Singh's reply to Punjab Kings post here:

The post indicates that Shashank Singh who they bought due to confusion was also in the back of their mind ahead of the auction. However, they further stated that the confusion about having him on board was due to the same names shared between the two. Lastly, the franchise stated that they're excited to have Shashank represent them and lead them to a successful campaign.

The other Shashank Singh did see the luck turn to the other side due to some confusion, and unavailability of a picture when his name went under the hammer. However, with the trading window still open, the Punjab-based franchise might think of buying him with the opportunity at their helm.