New Delhi: Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh’s recent Instagram activity has sparked speculations regarding his future with the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Shashank, who enjoyed a breakthrough season with PBKS in IPL 2024, has removed the team’s name from his Instagram bio, hinting that he might get released by the franchise.
Shashant was one of the stand-out performers for Punjab Kings last season and took the season by storm with his exploits as a finisher. The explosive batter scored 354 runs in 14 matches for Punjab Kings at an excellent average of 44.25 and bailed his team out of trouble on several occasions with his impressive batting.
As per reports, Punjab Kings were reportedly considering retaining Shashank as an uncapped player for Rs 4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, the batter has now hinted that he might not be retained and head into the auction pool after removing PBKS from his Instagram bio. “Professional Cricketer,” reads his current Instagram bio which clearly had “Punjab Kings” mentioned earlier.
As per the BCCI rules, each franchise can retain up to six players (Maximum 5 capped and 2 uncapped) ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The teams have the choice to use six direct retentions or use a combination of retentions and RTMs, or use all six RTMs in the auction. The salary cap for the top three retentions are Rs 18 crore, Rs 14 crore and Rs 11 crore, respectively while an uncapped player can be retained for Rs 4 crore.
What are Punjab Kings’ plans for IPL 2025 mega auction?
As per reports, Punjab Kings are looking to retain only two uncapped players – Shashank and Ashutosh Sharma ahead of the mega auction. Both batters shone for the franchise in the middle order in IPL 2024 and finished matches together. PBKS had retained only Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh as an uncapped player ahead of the mega auction in 2022 and they are expected to do something similar this year.
If Punjab Kings doesn’t retain any capped player, they will likely head into the IPL 2025 mega auction with one of the biggest purses among all franchises. PBKS have never won the IPL title and will be hoping to build a squad that can challenge for the title next season having already roped in the legendary Ricky Ponting as the new head coach of the franchise.
