Pondicherry to welcome Shashank Singh for 2026-27 ...

By Rohan Gupta — 3 August 2026 — 3 min read

Shashank Singh’s Move to Pondicherry

Shashank Singh, the Punjab Kings‘ all-rounder, has confirmed his departure from Chhattisgarh and is set to join Pondicherry for the 2026-27 domestic season. This move follows allegations by Singh that the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) did not provide adequate support during his injury recovery and subsequently sidelined him without explanation. Singh, 34, has obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the CSCS to facilitate this transfer.

P Damodaran, former president of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry, stated that Singh and Prasad Pawar, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Mumbai, will be guest players for Pondicherry in the upcoming domestic season. The association plans to finalize a third guest player in the coming weeks.

Allegations Against Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh

Singh cited serious shoulder and finger injuries sustained last season, claiming that the CSCS offered no support during this period. He also noted that his name was omitted from the player list for the Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League 2026 and was absent from the Chhattisgarh squad that traveled to Bengaluru for a pre-season camp. When he sought clarification, he reportedly received no response.

Singh further addressed suggestions that his focus was solely on franchise cricket. He mentioned that he was informed he only wished to play in the IPL and not for Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket. Singh countered this by highlighting that he was recognized as India’s best all-rounder in the white-ball circuit by the BCCI just last year, 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 Performances

For the upcoming season, Singh intends to concentrate on white-ball cricket, taking a break from the red-ball format. He aims 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.

In the 2024-25 season, Singh scored 450 runs and took 11 wickets in seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also contributed 188 runs in seven games during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. Singh played a significant role in the Punjab Kings’ journey to the IPL 2025 final, accumulating 350 runs at a strike rate of 153.51, which included an unbeaten 61 runs off 30 balls in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Singh’s domestic career includes playing for the DY Patil team in Mumbai’s local tournaments after moving from Bhilai at 16. 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 27, he returned to Chhattisgarh, where he was a regular in all formats from 2019 onwards. In 24 first-class matches for Chhattisgarh, he scored 905 runs at an average of 29.9 and took 16 wickets at 47.87. In List A cricket, he recorded 1,054 runs in 35 matches at 40.53 and secured 37 wickets. In T20s, his batting average is 25.55. He achieved a notable feat against Manipur, becoming the first Indian to score 150-plus runs and take five wickets in the same List A game.

Recently, 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. However, Singh has denied these allegations, stating he has been cleared of them.

Singh’s move marks a new chapter in his domestic career, with his official transfer to Pondicherry scheduled for the 2026-27 season.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com