Punjab Kings registered a memorable win over the Gujarat Titans in a dramatic finish at the 2024 Indian Premier League on Thursday, thanks largely to the heroics of their uncapped Indian player, Shashank Singh. Chasing a challenging 200-run score in Ahmedabad, Shashank Singh put out a sensational performance with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 61 off just 29 deliveries to secure a much-needed win for the Kings.
Shashank Singh walked out to bat in his ninth IPL innings, Punjab Kings were 70 for 4 in the ninth over of their chase of 200 against Gujarat Titans. The required rate had rocketed to 11.47 and, according to the ESPNCricinfo forecaster, their win probability had plummeted to 4.77%.
A true ‘Shashank Singh Redemption’ by Punjab Super Kings in the auction.
Tensions mounted in the auction room on December 19 when Mallika Sagar, the auctioneer, finalized the bidding process for Chhattisgarh’s Shashank Singh. Little did she know that it would spark confusion among the PBKS owners, Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta, who argued that they had confused the player with another cricketer of the same name. Mallika, naturally, questioned their sudden change of heart.
“Was it a wrong name? You don’t want the player?” Mallika’s inquired, prompting a hesitant response from the PBKS camp. It appeared that there had been a mix-up involving Shashank Singh, leaving the owners in a precarious position. After speculations spiraled on social media over whether the PBKS had signed the wrong Shashank, the franchise itself stepped forward to dispel any doubts.
Setting the record straight, PBKS clarified that Shashank Singh had always been a target for their squad. Shashank, too, had reacted to the post from PBKS on X, formerly Twitter, insisting that he now looked forward to joining the side. And so, in a poetic way, his innings in the game against GT was a true ‘Shashank Redemption’.
Shashank Singh domestic career.
Shashank Singh ‘s journey, though, has been anything but accidental. From Mumbai to Puducherry to Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket, and from then-Delhi Daredevils to Rajasthan Royals to Sunrisers Hyderabad to Kings in the IPL, the 32-year-old’s tale is one of toil and trying to make a mark at the highest level.
Shashank Singh , a top-order batter and offspinner, played age-group cricket in Mumbai and made his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut for them in 2015. But after playing 15 T20s and three List A games across four seasons for Mumbai, and frustrated at being in and out of the team, he moved to Chhattisgarh, the state of his birth. He also played one List A game for Puducherry in the 2018-19 season.
But Chhattisgarh is where Shashank got more opportunities. He made his first-class debut in 2019-20 and played an important role in the following season when Chhattisgarh beat Mumbai for the first time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In 2023, Shashank Singh became the first Indian, and third overall after Alvin Kallicharran and Mike Procter, to score 150-plus runs and take five wickets in the same List A game, achieving the feat against Manipur.
Shashank has been around with IPL teams since 2017 but it took him five years to make his debut. He was first picked by the Delhi franchise in the IPL 2017 auction. For IPL 2019 and 2020, he was with Royals.
Having been overlooked at 2021 auction, Shashank finally made his debut in IPL 2022 after being picked by SRH, and in his first innings hammered an unbeaten six-ball 25 against Titans, which included three back-to-back sixes off Lockie Ferguson. But he couldn’t do much for the rest of the season and was released by the franchise after the IPL ended.
Shashank Singh had failed to find a team in 2023, so he had a point to prove this year. He was up against a familiar foe, but the circumstances were different. Then, he had come in with 12 balls left in the innings, trying to give his side that late push. Here, he had 68 balls and a mountain of an asking rate in front of him.
Shashank Singh’s blitzkrieg stuns GT.
Shashank Singh emerged as the hero for PBKS in the run-chase after the side endured a poor start to the run-chase. The side lost its first wicket for just 13 when Shikhar Dhawan (1) was castled by Umesh Yadav, and then lost another wicket in powerplay when Noor Ahmad dismissed the dangerous-looking Jonny Bairstow for 22. The side kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was reeling at 111/5 when Shashank Singh took charge of the chase.
With two boundaries and a towering six against Umesh, Shashank Singh plundered 17 runs in the 11th over, igniting hope for the PBKS supporters. Despite the loss of partners at the other end, he continued to wield his bat with authority, finding the boundary ropes and clearing the fence with ease.
He was brilliantly supported by another uncapped batter, Ashutosh Sharma, who played a bright 31-run cameo off just 17 deliveries. His hitting further took PBKS near the total, but the batter was dismissed off the first delivery of the final over, bringing the pressure back on the PBKS.
With the game hanging in the balance, Shashank Singh, who had reached his fifty off just 25 deliveries, held his nerve to seal the win for PBKS with a four as he returned to the strike. Throughout his innings, Shashank Singh played the balls on their merits, not attempting extravagant shots or premeditating a particular stroke. He was named the player of the match and thanked the PBKS support staff for showing faith in him.
Sensational Shashank Singh opens up after his match winning knock of 61 vs GT
On the second ball of his innings on Thursday, he was beaten by a Noor wrong’un and was smacked on the pads. Titans went for a review, but replays showed the ball going over the stumps. Enough prodding, he said. The next delivery, another wrong’un, he jumped out of his crease and smoked it over long-off.
Shashank Singh next took down Umesh Yadav, with a sequence of 4, 6, 4. He picked Mohit’s back-of-the-hand cutters and Noor’s googly. Even Rashid wasn’t spared. What set Shashank apart was his fast hands and how quickly he was picking the lengths. In no time, he had raced to his maiden IPL fifty, off 25 balls
“Rashid and Noor are world-class spinners. I was trying to read them from the hand,” Shashank told Star Sports after the game.
“I don’t improvise too much. You won’t see me play the scoop, reverse sweep much. Obviously, I saw videos of them yesterday, but playing them in the match is a different feel. I was backing my shots. I had the same plan for Mohit bhai. His back-of-the-hand [slower balls] are very good, plus he uses the bouncer well. My plan was to just react to the ball and keep my mind as calm as possible
Shashank later found good support from Ashutosh Sharma, the IPL debutant who came in as an Impact Player, with the two adding 43 off 22 for the seventh wicket. With Kings needing seven to win from the final over, Ashutosh fell first ball. Shashank, however, kept his composure and took his side home with one ball to spare. Having not shown much emotion through the game – he barely acknowledged his fifty – he let the floodgates open as he ran to the dugout helmet off, screaming in delight.
“Still trying to sink [it] in,” he said at the post-match presentation. “I have visualized all these things, you visualize them before a match. But obviously turning it into reality, [I am] feeling very happy and proud of myself.”
Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan was also effusive in his praise of the way Shashank timed the chase. “Magnificent,” he said. “When you are chasing that big a total, you have to keep the momentum going and I feel the way Shashank played and hit those sixes effortlessly, that showed his class. He timed the ball so nicely, it looked quite effortless and at the same time he kept his cool and finished the game.”
Having spent years showing his wares in domestic cricket, travelling from one place to the other, Shashank Singh is now trying to make up for lost time. There might have been confusion at the auction about whether he was joining Kings. But now that he is here, he will hope this is a start of greater things to come.