File photo of Satish Menon.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated auctions for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, Punjab Kings announced batters Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh as their player retentions for the coming edition. Prabhsimran has been with Punjab since 2019 and over the past six years, the wicketkeeper has scored 756 runs in 34 games at an average of 22.24 and a strike rate of 146.23. Meanwhile, Shashank emerged as one of the key players for the team last season, scoring an impressive 354 runs in 14 games at an average of 44.25 and a strike rate of 164.65.
Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon ahead of the IPL Auction said that the goal of the franchise is to win the silverware in the upcoming season. He also praised their newly appointed head coach Ricky Ponting and said that he is one of the sharpest minds in cricket.
“This auction will be critical as we go there with maximum purse. We will build on what we have at the moment. It will be an interesting auction, especially for us, as we also have a new coach in Ricky Ponting. He is one of the sharpest minds in cricket. You will see us develop an extraordinary team. Our goal is to go for silverware this year – nothing short of that,” Menon was quoted in a release from Punjab Kings as saying.
He added that the Punjab-based franchise has put a lot of faith in Prabhsimran Singh.
“We have seen Prabhsimran develop over the last six years. He is a player that we have put a lot of faith in. We have seen him bloom. He played some fantastic innings last year. We believe he is on the cusp of breaking into the big leagues,” he said.
“As far as Shashank is concerned, he is known for his batting at multiple positions in the order. He showed his mettle last season. He continues with the same style and passion. That was one of the big reasons why we retained him. He is a gun fielder. And these two players are the best fits for us,” he added.
Earlier this year, the Kings announced Ricky Ponting as the Head Coach for the coming season, and Menon hinted that the Aussie legend will bring in new and fresh ideas at the upcoming auctions. He further added that his side will eye the trophy this season.
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