Punjab Kings' Harpreet Brar has gradually become one of the best bowlers in the IPL
Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner Harpreet Brar realised his dream when his team took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2021 in Ahmedabad. That was when he got rid of three of RCB’s biggest batters in Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell.
He removed Kohli an Maxwell in the 11th over before getting rid of De Villiers in the 13th. Brar said that he manifested taking the wickets of Kohli, de Villiers and Maxwell and that performance motivated him to do better in the IPL.
“Sometimes, you manifest things, and it worked out on that occasion. From there, I played regularly in the IPL; that game gave me the push,” Harpreet was quoted as saying by Cricket.com.
Harpreet was right. He went onto take 18 wickets between the 2021 and 2024 seasons, gradually becoming a mainstay in the Punjab Kings playing XI. The 29-year-old also got the opportunity to become a net bowler in the Indian cricket team. He recalled talking with Virat Kohli in the nets.
“I used to talk to Kohli paaji in the nets. I remember having breakfast with him, where we spoke about cricket. His stats are there for the entire world to see. I used to talk about fitness, ask him how he handles a situation, and chat about consistency. He’s played so much for the country without any injury,” reminisced Harpreet. “That time there was IPL auction as well; when Punjab picked me, he told me, ‘Dekho, Punjab nee aapko choda nahi [See, Punjab didn’t leave you out],” he added.
Harpreet Brar recalls his family meeting Virat Kohli
The Meerut-born cricketer also spoke of the time when Kohli met his family after an IPL game in Dharamsala.
“When Kohli met my family, there weren’t any cricketing talks. My family was very happy that they met Virat Paaji, they couldn’t stop smiling. It was quite an emotional moment that such a big cricketer came and met my family. It shows his humbleness. It is always there in my memory,” he stated.
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Harpreet, however, has been inconsistent. While he took five wickets against Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings combined last year, he endured figures of 0/48 and 0/35 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans respectively. Harpreet said he is eager to be consistent and also wants to become a match-winner at Punjab Kings.
“I want to improve my performance from last year. Like you said, unlike last year, I want to be consistent in more games. Every game makes a big difference to the team. During the camp, I’m also focusing on becoming a match-winner for Punjab,” he revealed.
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