NewsIndia

By Ishaan Kapoor — 3 August 2026 — 3 min read

Shashank Singh’s move to Pondicherry

Shashank Singh, the Punjab Kings‘ vice-captain and an established IPL batter, has chosen to transition from Chhattisgarh to Pondicherry for the upcoming 2026-27 season. This move follows his decision to leave his previous state association, citing a lack of support during an injury-plagued period and subsequent exclusion from team activities.

P Damodaran, former president of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry, confirmed that Shashank Singh, along with Prasad Pawar, Mumbai‘s wicketkeeper-batsman, will join Pondicherry as guest players for the domestic season. The association plans to finalize a third guest player in the coming weeks.

Shashank Singh, a 34-year-old all-rounder, confirmed his departure from Chhattisgarh, stating he has secured a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS). He indicated that he suffered significant shoulder and finger injuries, including a fracture on his right finger, during the previous season. According to Shashank, the CSCS did not provide adequate support during this recovery phase.

Allegations of non-support and sidelining

Following his recovery, Shashank Singh‘s name was notably absent from the list of players for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026. Furthermore, he was not included in the Chhattisgarh squad that traveled to Bengaluru (Alur) for a pre-season camp. He stated that his inquiries regarding these omissions received no response from the association.

Shashank Singh also addressed suggestions that his focus was solely on franchise cricket, dismissing these claims. He highlighted that in the 2023-24 season, he was recognized by the BCCI as India‘s best white-ball all-rounder, receiving the Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in Domestic Limited Overs Competitions.

During the 2024-25 season, Shashank Singh demonstrated strong performance in domestic white-ball cricket. He scored 450 runs and took 11 wickets in seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, he accumulated 188 runs in seven games.

Focus on white-ball cricket and past achievements

For the upcoming season, Shashank Singh intends to concentrate exclusively on white-ball cricket, taking a break from the red-ball format. His goal is to establish himself as a complete all-rounder, focusing on bowling his full quota of four overs in T20 cricket for both Pondicherry and the Punjab Kings in the IPL.

The all-rounder played a significant role in the Punjab Kings‘ journey to the IPL 2025 final. He scored 350 runs at a strike rate of 153.51 during the tournament, which included an unbeaten 61 runs off just 30 balls in the final match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Shashank Singh‘s cricketing journey began with a move from Bhilai to Mumbai at the age of 16, where he played for the DY Patil team in local tournaments. He made his Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debuts for Mumbai in 2015, representing them in three List A games until 2018. At the age of 27, he returned to Chhattisgarh.

From 2019 onwards, Shashank was a regular fixture in the Chhattisgarh team across various formats. In 24 first-class games for the state, he scored 905 runs at an average of 29.9 and took 16 wickets at 47.87 with his medium pace. His List A statistics show 1,054 runs in 35 matches at 40.53 and 37 wickets, while in T20s, his batting average is 25.55. In the 2023-24 season, he achieved a notable feat by becoming the first Indian player to score over 150 runs and take five wickets in a single List A game, which occurred against Manipur.

Recently, Shashank Singh and his father, Shailesh Singh, a retired Special Director General of Police, were involved in a situation where an FIR was filed against them for alleged assault and verbal abuse of their cook. Shashank has denied these allegations, stating that he has been cleared of all charges.

His move to Pondicherry marks a new chapter in his domestic career, with the player hoping for a fresh start after his departure from Chhattisgarh for the 2026-27 season.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com