Who Is Shashank Singh? PBKS Star Who Took Team To Win vs GT

The Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings IPL 2024 match was a thriller to the core. After Shubman Gill's 89* took Gujarat Titans to 199/4 in 20 overs, most the Punjab Kings top batters fell on low scores. But one man had some other idea - Shashank Singh. The domestic cricket star slammed 61* in 29 balls (4x6s, 6x4s) to take his team to a memorable win in the last over vs GT. In a team filled with stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran, it was Shashank Singh who did the job for PBKS. 

However, Shashank Singh' auction selection lead to a lot of controversy. At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Punjab Kings co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia looked confused after they won the bid for uncapped Indian Shashank Singh. It appeared that the IPL franchise did not intend to buy the player, but then the gavel had already fallen. IPL 2024 auctioneer Mallika Sagar also looked a little surprised as the PBKS management was seen going through the players auction list. However, PBKS decided to go ahead with the buy and even welcomed Shashank Singh to their team through a post on X.

Punjab Kings clarified that buying Shashank Singh was always in  their plans.

"Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success," Punjab Kings wrote in a post on X. 

Two players of similar names on the IPL list created confusion. I am delighted to share that the right Shashank Singh has been onboarded. He has put out some noteworthy performances, and we're ready to unleash his talent.

- Satish Menon
CEO, Punjab Kings.

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 20, 2023

Shashank Singh was brought up in the accelerated phase of the auction, with PBKS and other franchises looking to buy some uncapped Indian players in the category of INR 20 lakh base price.

When Shashank's name was brought up, Preity Zinta raised the paddle after discussing the player with her team. The player was quickly sold as no other franchise bid for him, and the hammer went down.

Shashank Singh has played 58 domestic T20, scoring 754 at a strike-rate of 137.34. The 32-year-old batting all-rounder plays for Chhattisgarh at the national level. He is journeyman of sorts in IPL. Earlier, he has been associated with three other IPL franchises - SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils (erstwhile) and Rajasthan Royals. 
 

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Watch: Was Pant Wrongly Denied A DRS Review vs KKR? Internet Thinks So

Sunil Narine slammed an explosive 85 off just 39 deliveries to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a sensational victory over Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 on Wednesday. The knock was instrumental in taking KKR to a mammoth total of 272/7 - the second highest in the history of the competition - and it turned to be too much for DC who were defeated by 106 runs. However, Narine was handed a huge lifeline when he edged a delivery off Ishant Sharma to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps but the DC skipper was late in asking for the DRS review after the umpire ruled in KKR's favour.

Pant was in two minds about taking the review and after some persuasion from his teammates, he finally took the review but he was denied as the clock had already run out. However, some social media users were not convinced as they pointed out that Pant was wrongly denied.

pic.twitter.com/Mm6DD8B2Qz

— Debi Cha (@ChaDebi95756) April 3, 2024

Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Delhi Capitals by 106 runs to continue their winning run in IPL 2024. Set an improbable target of 273, Delhi Capitals were all out for 166 in 17.2 overs.

Batting first, the seasoned Sunil Narine and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi struck scintillating half-centuries to power Kolkata Knight Riders to an imposing 272 for seven.

Narine blasted 85 in a mere 39 balls while the 18-year-old Raghuvanshi smashed his way to 54 off 27 deliveries, as the DC bowlers ran for cover.

Andre Russell blazed away to 41 in just 19 balls while Rinku Singh made 26 in eight balls, continuing KKR's dominance through the innings. For DC, skipper Rishabh Pant hammered 55 in 25 balls while Tristan Stubbs sizzled with 54 in 32 deliveries.

(With PTI inputs)

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IPL 2024: Sunil Narine Shines As Dominant KKR Crush DC By 106 Runs

Sunil Narine smashed 85 to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to the second-best ever IPL total of 272-7 in a crushing 106-run victory over Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. The mammoth score came just a week after Sunrisers Hyderabad posted the highest ever innings total of 277-3. Kolkata, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, remain unbeaten from three matches this season after they bowled out Delhi for 166 in 17.2 overs to top the 10-team table. Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant made 55 off 25 balls, his second successive fifty, and Tristan Stubbs hit 54 but the rest of the batting flopped.

The venue was Delhi's adopted home ground due to the upcoming general elections in India but Narine and Kolkata made it their own.

Narine tore into the Delhi attack as he hit seven fours and seven sixes in his 39-ball blitz for his highest T20 score in his 501st match.

Narine, 35, smashed Delhi seamer Ishant Sharma for 26 runs in an over as he raised his fifty in 21 balls and put on 104 runs with teenage debutant Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who hit 54.

There was no respite for the bowlers as Narine's departure off Mitchell Marsh in the 13th over brought in Andre Russell for another punishing knock.

Russell smashed 41 off 19 balls and then Rinku Singh threatened to help KKR surpass Hyderabad's record total with his eight-ball 26.

South African quick Anrich Nortje sent back Rinku at the end of the 19th over and Ishant bowled Russell with a toe-crushing yorker at the start of the 20th as Kolkata fell just short of the record.

The innings featured 18 sixes and 22 fours.

Delhi were never in the chase after they lost four wickets, including Marsh out for a duck off fellow Australian Mitchell Starc, inside five overs.

It was the first wicket of the season for left-arm quick Starc, who became the most expensive buy in IPL history after Kolkata shelled out $2.98 million for him in the auction.

Starc also bowled David Warner for 18.

Pant and Stubbs put on 93 runs for the fifth wicket before both fell to spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took three wickets.

Medium-pacer and impact substitute Vaibhav Arora also claimed three wickets. Narine returned figures of 1-29 with his off-spin.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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MI Pacer Delivers Fastest Ball Of IPL 2024, Shatters Mayank Yadav's Record

Mumbai Indians fast bowler Gerald Coetzee shattered youngster Mayank Yadav's record by delivering the fastest ball of IPL 2024 during the match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Mayank clinched the record just two days ago when he delivered a 155.8 kmph ball for Lucknow Super Giants but Coetzee surpassed his mark by quite some margin. The 157.4 kmph scorcher from the South Africa international came in the final ball of RR's chase and Riyan Parag was able to guide it towards the third-man boundary for a four. Overall, Coetzee is second behind former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait who delivered a 157.71 kmph ripper while playing for Rajasthan Royals back in 2011.

Fastest deliveries in IPL history:

Shaun Tait 157.71 kmph - 2011

Gerald Coetzee 157.4 kmph - 2024

Lockie Ferguson 157.3 kmph - 2022

Umran Malik 157 kmph - 2022

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya on Tuesday asserted that the former champions will not give up and will continue to fight in the ongoing IPL despite slumping to a hat-trick of defeats.

"If there's one thing you should know about this team, we never give up. We'll keep fighting, we'll keep going," Hardik posted on X.

Hardik has been facing the ire of fans since replacing Rohit Sharma as MI captain. The all-rounder was booed in the team's opening two matches and the crowd hostility was at its peak in MI's first home game of the season on Monday.

To add to the woes, under his captaincy MI's campaign at the 2024 IPL got off to a disastrous start as they sit at the bottom of the table following three losses on the trot.

However, MI are known to be perennial slow starters. In 2015, they lost the first four games before going on to win the title.

Hardik's poor captaincy calls have also been questioned -- whether it was not giving Bumrah the new ball or sending Tim David ahead of himself against Gujarat Titans.

The change in captaincy has not sat well with the legions of MI supporters. On Monday, chants of 'Rohit Rohit' filled the Wankhede with the Indian captain himself asking the crowd not to jeer Hardik.

Mumbai Indians will next face Delhi Capitals at home on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)

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"My Wicket Changed...": Hardik's Confession After MI's Hat-trick Of Losses

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya on Monday urged his team to show a bit more "discipline" and "courage" to turn things around after suffering a third successive loss in the IPL 2024. Asked to bat, MI were left tottering at 20 for 4 in the fourth over and they just couldn't recover from the disastrous start, managing only 125 for nine in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, Rajasthan Royals overhauled the target with 27 balls to spare for a six-wicket win. "We didn't start the way we wanted to, tough night tonight," Hardik told the broadcasters after the match.

"Results, sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. I don't think much surprises me anymore. But as a group we believe we can pull off a lot of better things going forward and we just need to be more disciplined and show more courage." 

It was Hardik's 21-ball 34 which pushed MI's total. But things went downhill after he was sent back by Yuzvendra Chahal.

"I think we were in a decent position to give us a chance to get to 150 or 160 but I think my wicket changed the game and brought them more in the game and I think I could have done better," he said.

The bowlers had a good day in office with Chahal (3/11) and Trent Boult (3/22) setting up the win for RR.

"It's good to have something for the bowlers as well. The game is quite cruel to the bowlers. But it was unexpected. It's all about doing the right things," Hardik said.

RR skipper Sanju Samson said the toss played a crucial role in deciding the fate of the match.

"(The toss) I think that was the gamechanger. The toss was very crucial. I felt it was too sticky to start off and we had the experience of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger's speed," Samson said.

"(Boult) has been playing international cricket for so long and we expected him to deliver. I didn't expect four or five wickets down, but it was great.

"We all do our roles and move on. Someone like R Ashwin knew we had a good powerplay so he didn't go for wickets, just kept it tight. So it's about teamwork." Chasing 126 for a win, RR were reduced to 48 for three in the seventh over but Riyan Parag blasted a 39-ball 54 not out, his second successive fifty this season, to take the team home.

"Actually, I've simplified everything instead of trying to do a lot of things. Earlier when I wasn't getting runs I would try a lot of different things. This year, it's just seeing the ball and hitting the ball," Parag said.

"When I play domestically this is the exact kind of situations I go into bat. When Jos (Jos Buttler) bhai and Ash (R Ashwin) bhai got out, I thought to myself this is what I do in domestic cricket. So that's what I calculated.

On the difference between domestic cricket and IPL, Parag said: "I have had three-four years of not performing at all. And you really go back to the hotel room and think when you know you can do it and the results are not coming, you go back to the drawing room.

"I realised I wasn't practicing at this kind of level so I went and did that." Boult was awarded the Player of the Match for his three wickets in the powerplay with two of them -- Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir -- coming in the first over itself.

"Never say it's a certainty in the format, but it was nice to get the wickets. We created early pressure, nice to take some wickets and glad the result went our way," he said.

Boult also termed South Africa's Nandre Burger a "great find".

"Bowls with great skill and plays with his heart on his sleeves. Sandeep obviously missed out but he'll play a big role in the season. Excited to be part of this bowling attack." 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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IPL 2024 Points Table: What Heavy Loss Against RR Means For Hardik's MI

The situation went from bad to worse for Mumbai Indians as the Hardik Pandya-led side slumped to their third consecutive defeat in IPL 2024. The five-time champions were completely outplayed by Rajasthan Royals as they suffered a six-wicket loss on Monday. The loss means that MI are in the tenth position with the worst Net Run Rate (NRR) in the competition. This has been a terrible start for them and the defeat certainly increased the pressure on Hardik and Co. On the other hand, RR claimed the top spot from Kolkata Knight Riders with the comprehensive victory.

A clinical Rajasthan Royals romped home for a third win on the trot in IPL 2024 with a six-wicket hammering of Mumbai Indians, whose skipper Hardik Pandya continued to be on the receiving end of fans' anger,.

After Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11) and Trent Boult (3/22) combined to suffocate Mumbai Indians with the bat, restricting them to 125/9, Riyan Parag (54 not out) churned out yet another top-drawer knock to take Rajasthan Royals to the first spot in the IPL points table.

The 22-year-old Parag continued to make giant strides this season with a knock that reflected his maturity and aggression, dishing out some spectacular hits while being single-minded to not relent until his side was over the line.

Parag's knock was studded with five fours and three sixes as Royals reached 127/4 from 15.3 overs, winning with 27 balls to spare.

Meanwhile, there was no letup for Pandya who was booed on several occasions in Mumbai Indians' first home game. It started with Pandya being booed when he took field for warm-up drills and the fans hit the player hard again when he came out for the toss.

Even though commentator and former India and Mumbai player Sanjay Manjrekar appealed to the crowd to "behave", the boos continued until Pandya hit a few fours to bring smile back on Mumbai fans after their side was left reeling at 20/4 inside the powerplay.

(With PTI inputs)

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Parag, Chahal Excel As RR Hand Hardik's MI 3rd Straight Loss In IPL 2024

A clinical Rajasthan Royals romped home for a third win on the trot in the Indian Premier League with a six-wicket hammering of Mumbai Indians, whose skipper Hardik Pandya continued to be on the receiving end of fans' anger, on Monday. After Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11) and Trent Boult (3/22) combined to suffocate Mumbai Indians with the bat, restricting them to 125/9, Riyan Parag (54 not out) churned out yet another top-drawer knock to take Rajasthan Royals to the first spot in the IPL points table. The 22-year-old Parag continued to make giant strides this season with a knock that reflected his maturity and aggression, dishing out some spectacular hits while being single-minded to not relent until his side was over the line. Parag's knock was studded with five fours and three sixes as Royals reached 127/4 from 15.3 overs, winning with 27 balls to spare.

Meanwhile, there was no letup for Pandya who was booed on several occasions in Mumbai Indians' first home game. It started with Pandya being booed when he took field for warm-up drills and the fans hit the player hard again when he came out for the toss.

Even though commentator and former India and Mumbai player Sanjay Manjrekar appealed to the crowd to "behave", the boos continued until Pandya hit a few fours to bring smile back on Mumbai fans after their side was left reeling at 20/4 inside the powerplay.

Pandya top-scored with 34 for Mumbai in his bid to turn the brickbats into cheers but Rajasthan came out on top on every moment in the game, which was underlined by special bowling efforts from Chahal, Boult as well as Nandre Burger (2/32), who were all backed by excellent fielding.

Boult struck early with a three-wicket burst inside the powerplay and Chahal made life miserable for rest of the batters in the following overs to return brilliant figures 3/11 in four overs, accounting for Pandya, Tilak Varma (32) and Gerald Coetzee (4).

If Chahal suffocated the MI batters in the middle overs while stopping both Pandya and Varma in their tracks, it was Boult who ran riot in the home side's top order, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis for first-ball ducks.

The tone was set in the first over itself by Boult who rocked the Mumbai Indians twice, including the priced scalp of Rohit who was out for a golden duck.

Looking to get the feel of the ball on his bat perhaps prompted Rohit to go for one which was angled away by Boult, and an outside edge was snaffled splendidly by Rajasthan 'keeper-skipper Sanju Samson.

Dhir (0) was guilty of walking across the wickets and failing to cover Boult's in-swing, with the ball crashing into his pads. A DRS appeal was eventually burned since the ball tracking showed it would have clipped the leg stump.

Mumbai's situation worsened when impact player Brevis (0) played one meekly to short third on another delivery angling away from the right-hander off Boult in the third over, with Nandre Burger (2/32) taking a sharp reverse cupped catch.

Pandya, who was booed from all parts of the ground here, walked to a similar reception but a brief fightback from him turned the negative noise into cheers.

The Mumbai skipper showed intent when he hit three fours off Burger in the sixth over, but it was Chahal who brought an end to Pandya's resistance.

Chahal tossed one outside off-stump to make Pandya have a go at it, and the batter obliged with a big swing of the bat but the ball did not travel far enough.

The substitute fielder Rovman Powell read the elevation and speed well to cover a few yards to his right and take a fine diving catch, denying Pandya an opportunity to be a hero for his side.

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