Shashank Singh leaves Chhattisgarh to join Puducherry, alleges years of mistreatment

Shashank Singh has decided to leave Chhattisgarh to represent Puducherry in the upcoming 2026-27 domestic season and has been issued an NOC by the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh (CSCS). While Shashank has cited ‘disrespect’  by certain officials within the CSCS as the reason behind his switch, a senior official has denied those allegations.

Shashank Singh expressed his displeasure at being ignored for the Chhattisgarh Premier League and his exclusion from the conditioning camp. The 34-year-old revealed that he tried to engage in dialogue with the state association but didn’t receive a response.

"This has been brewing for a while. I tried to engage in dialogue with the state association officials soon after the IPL season, but I didn't receive any response. They didn't have a proper explanation for why I was excluded from the [2026] Chhattisgarh Cricket Premier League. They didn't tell me why I wasn't considered for the conditioning camp for the state probables,” Shashank told Cricinfo.

Shashank mentioned that the questions over his commitment towards the state team first surfaced during the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season after he suffered a shoulder injury while fielding against Mumbai and had to leave the field.

"Scans revealed a Grade 2 shoulder strain, which our physio was privy to, but the association officials felt I simply wasn't interested. I batted despite the injury in that match, but obviously they didn't see it the same way,” said Shashank.

He said similar doubts were raised during the white-ball season as well, despite him dealing with another injury.

"Just before the Vijay Hazare Trophy, I was at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for some conditioning and batting prep - an initiative I had taken on my own since I'm not a contracted player. During that stint, in one of the sessions, I got hit on the thumb by Prasidh Krishna and sustained a fracture. At the time, doctors even felt I'd be touch-and-go for the IPL. But it wasn't enough to convince Chhattisgarh officials that it was serious enough,” he added.

Shashank shifts focus to white-ball cricket

After battling multiple injuries over the past year, Shashank has now decided to focus exclusively on white-ball cricket for at least the upcoming domestic season, saying it offers him the best opportunity to continue as an all-rounder.

"In red-ball cricket, I tried my best to play as an all-rounder, but my body didn't allow it, and I'm tired of trying to convince people of this. That is the reason why I only want to focus on white-ball, and Puducherry fortunately agreed to this request of mine before we got down to the paperwork,” he said.

Shashank had a seven-year stint with Chhattisgarh, where he played 24 first-class matches and scored 905 runs at an average of 29.19. He had better returns in List A cricket, with 927 runs in 31 matches at an average of 40.30 and a strike rate of 111.95, along with 35 wickets. He also played 42 T20S for the state, scoring 653 runs at a strike rate of 129.30 while claiming 18 wickets.