‘Don’t see that’: IPL auction ‘drama’ as team bizarrely bids on wrong player... then tries to reverse it
As part of a marathon IPL auction, there were a bizarre moment of ... well, mistaken identity.
During the accelerated round, Punjab Kings appeared to accidentally bid for Shashank Singh. Shashank’s name was called out for a base price of 20 Lakhs before Punjab raised its paddle.
But when the hammer went down and the next player was set to be announced, Punjab co-owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zint seemed to be discussing that they’d made a mistake and wanted to withdrawal their bid.
uctioneer Mallika Sagar however stood her ground and said they had to keep Shashank under auction rules.
“The hammer has come down now,” Sagar told Zinta and Wadia.
If any team completes a bid, under auction rules they are required take that player and can’t withdrawal it once the hammer has gone down.
Shashank, a 32-year old who plays for Chattisgarh in domestic cricket, went unsold last year in the auction after being released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The mix up might’ve happened due to the fact that were two players named Shashank Singh in the auction shortlist.
The other is a 20-year old uncapped batsman from Bengal with no previous IPL experience, while Punjab went on a spending spree during the accelerated round in a bid to fill up its spots.
As to be expected, the blunder prompted some reaction from the cricket world.
“We don’t see that in the auction if you are clear with your plans,” commentator Suhail Chandok said on Jio Cinema.
Former New Zealand national coach Mike Hesson, who was appearing as an expert on the program, added of Punjab: “Not sure what Punjab achieved from this IPL auction. They have a lot of backups but not a lot of substance.”