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Punjab Kings vice-captain Shashank Singh has stunned everyone with his surprising decision ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season. Shashank Singh has decided to leave Chhattisgarh for Pondicherry.
The hard-hitting batter will now play for the Pondicherry team from the upcoming 2026-27 domestic season. The PBKS star made this call after not getting the support he expected from the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh. Amid this, Yuvraj Singh gets Delhi High Court relief in personality rights case.
Shashank Singh quits Chhattisgarh after fallout
The Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) has already confirmed Shashank Singh's arrival as one of its guest players for the upcoming domestic season.
Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Prasad Pawar will also join the Pondicherry team as a guest player, while the CAP is set to finalise one more player soon.
Shashank has already received his No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS). The Punjab Kings star revealed that he went through a difficult time last season after suffering a serious shoulder injury and a fracture in his right finger.
Shashank Singh slams Chhattisgarh's treatment before exit
The explosive batter felt that he did not get the backing from the CSCS he needed during his recovery. Things turned sour recently after his name was not included in the players selected for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026. He was also left out of the Chhattisgarh squad that travelled to Alur, Bengaluru, for the pre-season camp.
Shashank Singh was quoted as saying by the Times of India: “Yes, I’m quitting Chhattisgarh. I’ve taken the NOC from CSCS and am moving to Pondicherry from the 2026-27 season. I suffered serious shoulder and finger injuries (fracture on the right finger) last season, but the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh didn’t support me at all in this phase.
Post the season, they didn’t put my name on the list of players for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026, and my name was also missing in the Chhattisgarh squad which travelled to Bengaluru (Alur) for a pre-season camp. I asked why they didn't put my name. There was no response.”
He continued, “I was told that I only want to play in the IPL and not for Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket. The reality is that just last year (in Feb 2025), I was adjudged as India's best all-rounder in the white-ball circuit by the BCCI when I was named as the recipient of the prestigious Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in Domestic Limited Overs Competitions for the 2023-24 season.” Amid this, India Women's Asia Cup 2026 squad announced, Harmanpreet Kaur to lead.
Shashank Singh announces to become complete white-ball all-rounder
The 34-year-old impressed everyone in the 2024-25 domestic season by scoring 450 runs and picking up 11 wickets in seven Vijay Hazare Trophy matches. He also added 188 runs in seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games. Shashank will now aim to establish himself as a complete white-ball all-rounder.
The BCCI honoured him with the prestigious Lala Amarnath Award in 2025 as the Best All-Rounder in India's domestic white-ball competitions for the 2023-24 season. With a fresh start in Pondicherry, Shashank will aim to make the most of the white-ball games by taking a break from red-ball cricket.
Shashank signed off by saying, “My body is still fresh. This is why I am focusing more on white-ball cricket and taking a break from red-ball cricket for this season. I am a proper all-rounder. I’m focusing on bowling my full quota of four overs in T20 cricket, for both Pondicherry and for Punjab Kings in the IPL.”
