A bitter split after a title-chasing IPL summer

Just months after playing a starring role in Punjab Kings' run to the IPL-2025 final, veteran all-rounder Shashank Singh has parted ways with Chhattisgarh, confirming he will join Pondicherry as a guest player for the 2026-27 domestic season.

The 34-year-old all-rounder, who captained Punjab Kings as vice-captain during their charge to the IPL-2025 final, has taken an NOC from the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS) and confirmed the move in an interview with TOI.

"Yes, I'm quitting Chhattisgarh. I've taken the NOC from CSCS and am moving to Pondicherry from the 2026-27 season," Shashank said.

Injury, neglect and a fractured relationship

Shashank claims the decision was driven by a lack of support from the state association during a difficult injury-riddled campaign. He suffered serious shoulder and finger injuries — including a fracture on his right finger — last season, but says CSCS offered no backing.

"The Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh didn't support me at all in this phase. Post the season, they didn't put my name in 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 said.

The all-rounder also hit back at suggestions that he prioritised the IPL over domestic cricket. "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," he stressed.

Pondicherry landing pad

The move was confirmed by Cricket Association of Pondicherry's former president P Damodaran, who revealed that Shashank and Mumbai wicketkeeper-batsman Prasad Pawar will be Pondicherry's guest players for the upcoming season.

"Shashank Singh and Prasad Pawar will be Pondicherry's guest players in the upcoming domestic season. We will finalise a third guest player in a couple of weeks," Damodaran told TOI.

White-ball focus ahead

Shashank is now focusing squarely on becoming a complete white-ball all-rounder, stepping away from red-ball cricket for this season.

"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," he said.

He had scored 450 runs and taken 11 wickets in seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and scored 188 runs in seven games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in the 2024-25 season.

Career in numbers

Shashank played a key role in Punjab Kings' run to the IPL-2025 final, scoring 350 runs at a strike rate of 153.51, including an unbeaten 61 off just 30 balls in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Having moved from Bhilai to Mumbai at the age of 16, Shashank played for the DY Patil team in Mumbai's local tournaments before making his Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debuts for the state in 2015. He played just three List A games for Mumbai, whom he represented till 2018, before switching back to Chhattisgarh at the age of 27. From 2019 onwards he was a regular across formats for the state, accumulating 905 runs at an average of 29.9 and 16 wickets in 24 first-class games.

His List A numbers are stronger: 1,054 runs in 35 matches at 40.53 and 37 wickets, while a T20s he averages 25.55 with the bat. In the 2023-24 season, he became the first Indian to score 150-plus runs and take five wickets in the same List A game, a feat he achieved against Manipur.

Shashank also addressed the recent FIR filed against him and his father, Shailesh Singh, a retired Special Director General of Police, for alleged assault and verbal abuse of their cook. He insisted the allegations were baseless. "I've been cleared of all the allegations," he stressed.