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[Saba Sports News] At the 2024 IPL Auction, an unexpected incident occurred with Punjab Kings mistakenly buying Shashank Singh, an uncapped 32-year-old player from Chattisgarh, formerly with Sunrisers Hyderabad. This error happened during the accelerated bidding phase when auctioneer Mallika Sagar began the bidding for Shashank, who had gone unsold in the previous auction.
Punjab Kings, the only bidder for Shashank, unintentionally won his bid in Dubai. However, team owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta quickly realized the mistake, having confused him with another player. They sought to undo the purchase, but Sagar enforced the rule that a confirmed purchase stands once the hammer falls.
Despite efforts to re-auction Shashank, IPL auction rules disallowed any reversal after the gavel’s confirmation. Shashank has played 55 T20 matches, scoring 724 runs with a strike rate of 135.83 and taking 15 wickets. Punjab Kings’ most expensive acquisition was Harshal Patel for INR 11.75 crore.
The incident highlighted the inflexible nature of IPL auction regulations, even in cases of mistaken identity. On Jio Cinema, anchor Suhail Chandok criticized Punjab Kings’ uncertain approach, suggesting a lack of clarity in their strategy. Mike Hesson, an expert on the show, also commented on Punjab’s performance in the auction, observing that they seemed to have acquired many backup players but lacked substantial picks.