While the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai held on December 19th was undeniably a spectacle and several moments grabbed eyeballs, there was a stunning twist that took place. Punjab Kings were left in a pickle as they accidentally purchased Shashank Singh, leaving themselves in an unenviable spot. The video of the same went viral on social media.
The incident occurred during the accelerated round of the mini-auction when Shashank Singh's name was called out and Punjab Kings turned out to be the sole bidders. With SunRisers Hyderabad letting go of the all-rounder hailing from Chattisgarh, Kings had secured his services unintentionally.
Owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia realized their blunder and wanted to reverse the call, but auctioneer Mallika Sagar denied it. She asserted that once the hammer has been put down on a confirmed purchase, it cannot be undone.
Punjab Kings' biggest buy proves to be Harshal Patel:
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings bought the likes of Harshal Patel, Rilee Russouw, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, and Prince Choudhary in the auction. They shelled 11.75 crore on Harshal Patel, who was released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore after the 2023 edition.
While Rilee Russouw went unsold in the first phase of the auction, multiple franchises bid for the Proteas batter later, with the Kings pouching him for 8 crore. The Punjab-based franchise finished 8th in the previous edition, winning only 6 matches out of 14 and will be keen to at least reach the playoffs in 2024.
