Ishika Aggarwal
The Punjab Kings batting sensation Shashank Singh has recently removed the team’s name from his social media account, Instagram bio which sparked the speculation of the batter not being retained by the franchise ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction.
Notably, Punjab Kings and Shashank Singh have had a unique journey with the franchise ‘mistakenly’ picking the attacking batsman in their squad during the IPL 2024 auction. As per the team management, they confused Shashank with a young domestic talent belonging to the home side.
Shashank Singh removes Punjab Kings from Instagram bio
However, the 32 year old all-rounder took the team management by surprise with his consistent performances in the middle. Shashank sole-handedly helped the team chase several difficult targets and kept their hopes alive for the IPL 2024 play-offs.
Even though the Chhattisgarh-based cricketer gave several match winning performances, it seems like both the parties have come to the conclusion of Shashank Singh not getting retained by Punjab Kings as the all-rounder has changed his social media bio to “Professional Cricketer”.
It is to be noted that the Punjab Kings team franchise were also on the lookout to expand their portfolio with buying a stake in English T20 league, The Hundred. The ECB have welcomed bids from numerous overseas investors for their unique cricket league, and are reportedly offering 49% of stake in all their 8 teams.
However, as per the reports, Punjab Kings opted out of the association due to high bidding. “Punjab Kings opted out, while there has been no confirmation on whether five-times IPL champions Chennai Super Kings and equity major CVC Capital Partners, which owns Gujarat Titans, have submitted bids.”
Punjab Kings will also look for a new skipper in the IPL 2025 mega auction after Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. The team will be submitting their retentions along with other franchises by October 31.
