IPL: Arshdeep Singh retained for Rs 4 cr

Singh was retained by the Punjab Kings side along with Indian batsman Mayank Aggarwal. “It feels nice to play for the home team and at the home ground. It felt great and I am very happy,” said Arshdeep.

Son of security officer Darshan Singh, the young Arshdeep would be initiated into cricket by his father, who observed him bowling inswing at practice sessions in a park near their Kharar residence. (BCCI/IPL)

On Tuesday evening, Darshan Singh was eagerly waiting for his son Arshdeep Singh at their Kharar home. Twenty-year-old pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was playing in a practice match for Punjab against Uttar Pradesh at PCA Stadium, Mohali, had been retained by Indian Premier League (IPL) side Punjab Kings for a sum of Rs 4 crore and it was a moment to remember for the proud father.

While Singh had been picked up at his base price of Rs 20 lakh by the then Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 IPL auction, the youngster became only the fourth uncapped Indian player to be retained by any IPL franchise in this year’s retention list ahead of the mega auction later this month and Darshan Singh remembered the days of Arshdeep travelling by bus or cycle to Chandigarh in his younger days.

“Playing cricket has been Arshdeep’s passion since he started playing and we have always supported his dream. To see him being retained by Punjab Kings out of much more experienced players is the reward of all the hard work by Arshdeep. While I was posted in CISF earlier, my wife Baljeet Kaur would support a young Arshdeep. He would travel in bus or cycle sometimes from Kharar to Chandigarh to train under Jaswat Rai sir and being retained for such a huge amount of Rs four crore is his reward.

He shared this news with his mother, who has gone to Canada to meet his elder brother Akashdeep Singh and it was an emotional moment for both of them. He plans to build a new home for the family with this money ,” said Darshan Singh, who retired as an inspector from CISF and now works as a security head with Groz Beckert Asia in Industrial Area, Chandigarh.

While Arshdeep had started playing cricket at the age of nine at a Sector 19 Academy in Chandigarh, it was not until starting training under coach Jaswant Rai at sector 36, Chandigarh that the youngster started the sport seriously. Singh, who was picked up by the then Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 IPL Auction on the insistence of head coach Mike Hesson, played in two matches in the 2019 IPL making his debut against Rajasthan Royals.

Singh was retained by the Punjab Kings side along with Indian batsman Mayank Aggarwal. “It feels nice to play for the home team and at the home ground. It felt great and I am very happy,” said Arshdeep.

Nitin Sharma

Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story ‘Harmans of Moga’, Nitin has also been a three-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. His latest Laadli Award, in November 2025, came for an article on Deepthi Jeevanji, who won India’s first gold medal at the World Athletics Para Championship and was taunted for her unusual features as a child. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women’s cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin’s interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More

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