The Punjab Kings (PBKS) made a significant blunder during the Indian Premier League 2024 auction by purchasing the 'wrong player'. By the time they realised the mistake the bid had already been completed and the auctioneer denied the reversal.
The focal point of this chaos was the uncapped Indian player, Shashank Singh, whom PBKS mistakenly bought at a base price of Rs 20 lakhs after the team seemingly mixed up the name of the player during the 2024 IPL auction on Tuesday in Dubai.
During the accelerated round, the auctioneer Mallika Sagar announced and called out the name of 32-year-old Shashank, who represents Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket. The uncapped batting all-rounder, who remained unsold in the previous year's auction after being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, found a team for the 2024 IPL Punjab Kings emerged as the sole bidder for the uncapped all-rounder.
PBKS co-owner Zinta raised the paddle after a brief discussion with the rest of her team members when Shashank's name appear. auctioneer Mallika Sagar followed the routine procedure and brought down her hammer to seal Shashank's sale to the franchise with her hammer.
When the auctioneer Mallika moved to the next set of players, with Tanay Thyagrajan, being the first name up, PBKS realised their mistake and owners Ness Wadia and Zinta informed her that they had mistaken Shashank for another player.
"oh! You don't want the player?" asked Mallika. "We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down. Player No. 236 and 237 both went to you, I think". Wadia and Zinta were eager to re-enter him into the auction, yet auction regulations prevent such action once the hammer confirms a purchase, solidifying the transaction.