Shashank Singh, who plays for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, has once again grabbed headlines by severing ties with his home team Chhattisgarh. Shashank will now play for Puducherry in the upcoming season. P. Damodaran, the former president of the Cricket Association of Puducherry, has also confirmed this development. Apart from Shashank, Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Prasad Pawar has also joined the Puducherry squad.
Serious Allegations Against the Chhattisgarh Cricket Association
Speaking about his departure from Chhattisgarh, Shashank stated that he is leaving the team and has taken his NOC from CSCS to move to Puducherry starting from the 2026-27 season. He revealed that during the previous season, he suffered severe injuries to his shoulder and finger, but the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Association offered him zero support during that tough phase. After the season concluded, his name was omitted from the players' list for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026. Furthermore, his name was missing from the Chhattisgarh squad sent for the pre-season camp. When he inquired why his name was excluded, he received no answer.
BCCI Award and Selection Clarification
Expressing his grievances against the Chhattisgarh cricket authorities, Shashank mentioned that he was told he only wants to play in the IPL and not domestic cricket for Chhattisgarh. However, the reality was that just last year, he was named India's best all-rounder in the white-ball circuit by the BCCI. He received the prestigious Lala Amarnath Award for this achievement. Highlighting his previous domestic season, Shashank scored 450 runs and took 11 wickets in seven matches of the Vijay Haryana Trophy. Additionally, he scored 188 runs in seven matches during the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.
Focus on White-Ball Cricket and Future Plans
Shashank stated that his body still feels fresh, which is why he is focusing more on white-ball cricket and taking a break from red-ball cricket for this session. He considers himself a proper all-rounder and emphasized that his focus is on bowling his full quota of four overs in T20 cricket for both Puducherry and Punjab Kings in the IPL.
Shashank's Career Statistics for Chhattisgarh
Shashank joined the Chhattisgarh team back in 2019 and remained a regular member ever since. For Chhattisgarh, he played 24 first-class matches, scoring 905 runs at an average of 29.9 and picking up 16 wickets with his medium-pace bowling at an average of 47.87. His numbers in List A cricket are slightly better, where he amassed 1054 runs across 35 matches at an average of 40.53 along with 37 wickets, while his batting average in T20s stands at 25.55.
