Harpreet Brar was in fine form as he dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the space of seven balls as Punjab Kings secured their third win in IPL 2021 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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When it comes to Indian cricket, the town of Moga has a special place. Harmanpreet Kaur, one of the best woman cricketers in India, came from this town. The exploits of Harmanpreet, especially in the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup in England, put the town on the world cricketing map. Now, the town has another special connection after the IPL 2021 game between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Hailing from the same town as Harmanpreet, this bowler took the wickets of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers as his first wickets in the IPL.
The effort is four years of determination, patience and frustration. On April 30, at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, this six foot two inches spinner finally realised his potential. This is the story of Harpreet Brar, the left-arm spinner from Moga who won the Man of the Match.
Match number 26 proved to be the making of Harpreet Brar. After trying for four years to break into the IPL, he was rejected. In 2018, he was all set to give up on cricket and migrate to Canada. However, a late call from Kings XI Punjab got him an IPL spot at his base price of Rs 20 lakhs. He did not play in 2018 and played a total of just three games in 2019 and 2020. He did not pick a wicket and was going at an economy rate of over 10.
All that might have been playing on Harpreet Brar’s mind. When he came out to bat with KL Rahul, the Punjab Kings skipper had been going brilliantly. However, Punjab Kings was in danger of fizzling out in the death overs.
In the 18th over, Harpreet smashed the first boundary after 40 balls as Punjab Kings made a move on. He followed it up with a big six over deep midwicket as Harshal Patel leaked 18 runs. After a great first over from Mohammed Siraj, Rahul smashed a six and two fours in the final over bowled by Harshal. Harpreet added the icing to the cake as he hit another six. Punjab Kings had smashed 47 runs in the last three overs. The 60-run partnership had dented Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Harpreet had given Punjab Kings great momentum. In the chase, Kohli and Rajat Patidar were stitching a solid partnership after the early dismissal of Devdutt Padikkal. After 10 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore were in a good position at 62/1.
In the 11th over, Harpreet changed the course of the match. Kohli was getting bogged down and he decided to target the left-arm spinner. Harpreet bowled a good ball and Kohli was not to the pitch of the ball. The skipper swung across the line and was bowled. In the next ball, Glenn Maxwell completely misjudged the length as the ball spun away and hit off stump.
His first four balls to AB de Villiers were simply magnificent. Harpreet cramped the Proteas ace for room and did not give him the length to capitalize. On the fourth ball, he beat de Villiers with a ball that spun away sharply. On his fifth ball, de Villiers looked to slap a short ball over cover. However, since the ball stuck on the pitch, de Villiers mistimed the shot and was caught for 3. In the space of seven balls, Punjab Kings had broken the back of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting.
Harpreet was the Man of the Match for his all-round exploits. The maturity he displayed was simply brilliant. “I wasn’t overwhelmed when Kohli hit me because a bowler always gets a second chance to come back. My first IPL wicket was Kohli Paaji’s wicket and that was very special. It came out in a flow after that, your body opens up, you get confident and things fall in place,” Harpreet said.
Rahul lavished words of praises on Harpreet, stating that Punjab Kings were preparing him for this kind of wicket. “We were preparing Brar. On a pitch like this, we felt like we needed a finger spinner who could hit hard lengths. He did exactly that and batted really well in the end as well. I am young myself, but I have been trying to speak to the boys and pass on whatever experience I have of IPL and international cricket,” Rahul said.
The impact Harpreet had in the match is a lesson that patience and determination will pay off. It is not everyday that a bowler can get Kohli, de Villiers and Maxwell as their maiden IPL wickets.
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