Pondicherry to welcome Shashank Singh for 2026-27 season after Chhattisgarh exit
Shashank Singh’s Move to Pondicherry
Shashank Singh, the vice-captain of Punjab Kings and a notable IPL batter, has announced his decision to move from Chhattisgarh to Pondicherry for the 2026-27 season. This move comes after he obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS).
P. Damodaran, former president of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry, confirmed that Shashank Singh and Prasad Pawar, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Mumbai, will join Pondicherry as guest players for the upcoming domestic season. The association plans to finalize a third guest player in the coming weeks.
Reasons for Departure from Chhattisgarh
Shashank Singh cited a lack of support from the CSCS during an injury-plagued period as the primary reason for his departure. He sustained serious shoulder and finger injuries, including a fracture on his right finger, last season. According to Shashank, the CSCS did not provide adequate support during this phase.
Following his recovery, Shashank Singh noted that his name was not included in the player list for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026. Furthermore, he was omitted from the Chhattisgarh squad that traveled to Bengaluru (Alur) for a pre-season camp. He stated that his inquiries regarding these omissions received no response.
The 34-year-old all-rounder also addressed suggestions that he was solely interested in playing IPL cricket. He highlighted that in February 2025, he was recognized as India’s best white-ball all-rounder by the BCCI, receiving the Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in Domestic Limited Overs Competitions for the 2023-24 season.
Focus on White-Ball Cricket and Past Performance
For the upcoming season, Shashank Singh is concentrating on becoming a dedicated white-ball all-rounder. He plans to take a break from red-ball cricket to focus on bowling his full quota of four overs in T20 cricket for both Pondicherry and Punjab Kings in the IPL.
In the 2024-25 season, Shashank Singh scored 450 runs and took 11 wickets in seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also scored 188 runs in seven games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. He played a significant role in Punjab Kings’ journey to the IPL 2025 final, scoring 350 runs at a strike rate of 153.51, including an unbeaten 61 runs off 30 balls in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Having moved from Bhilai to Mumbai at the age of 16, Shashank Singh played for the DY Patil team in Mumbai’s local tournaments. He made his Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debuts for Mumbai in 2015, representing them until 2018. At the age of 27, he returned to Chhattisgarh, where he became a regular player across formats from 2019 onwards.
In 24 first-class games for Chhattisgarh, he scored 905 runs at an average of 29.9 and took 16 wickets at 47.87. His List A cricket statistics include 1,054 runs in 35 matches at 40.53 and 37 wickets. In T20s, he averages 25.55 with the bat. In the 2023-24 season, he became the first Indian player to score over 150 runs and take five wickets in a single List A game, achieving this feat against Manipur.
Recently, Shashank Singh and his father, Shailesh Singh, a retired Special Director General of Police, faced an FIR for alleged assault and verbal abuse of their cook, Vipendra Singh. Shashank has denied these allegations, stating he has been cleared of all accusations.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
