Punjab Kings (PBKS) have refuted reports claiming that they "erroneously" signed a player during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mini-auction in Dubai on Tuesday (December 19).

As usual, PBKS were active in the auction as they shelled out Rs 24.95 Crore to secure the services of eight players, including two overseas names.

However, there was a moment of confusion when Punjab Kings raised the paddle for Chhattisgarh all-rounder Shashank Singh.

After Shashank was sold at his base price of Rs 20 Lakh, PBKS co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia seemed to have a chat with the auctioneer Mallika Sagar.

They had a brief discussion and the player remained sold to Punjab Kings. Following the deal, speculations were rife that the franchise did not want to buy Shashank but eventually had to settle for him after he was sold.

Amid the furore, PBKS released a statement, saying that Shashank Singh was on their target list and the confusion was due to two players with the same name.

"Media have reported on Shashank Singh being bought erroneously by the Punjab Kings. The Kings would like to clarify that the player was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him on board and see him contribute to our success," PBKS said.

PBKS full squad for IPL 2024:

Retained players

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia.

Players bought at IPL 2024 auction

Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajann, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw.