Harpreet Singh played a blinder last night against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Coming in at the time when wickets when rebuilding was required, he was stuck scoring 16 runs in 20 balls. But a late onslaught against Arjun Tendulkar and Jofra Archer helped him score 28 balls 41.
The three U19 players who joined KKR in 2010 were Harpreet, Mandeep, and Jaydev Unadkat; while the other two saw action, Harpreet was not given the opportunity to bat. After making his debut in 2010, he last competed more than ten years ago, collecting three caps for Pune Warriors India in 2011 and 2012. He broke Matthew Wade’s record for the longest time between appearances with his debut for Punjab Kings, who are now second to last in the IPL betting for IPL 2023. With the technique and strokes he has got, one may wonder where was this cricketer has hidden for many years.
There are obviously several factors behind Harpreet’s extended absence, and given that he is still only 31, he still has a promising IPL future ahead of him. However, a strange case of mistaken identity in 2017 that resulted in Harpreet Singh, a former IPL player and cricketer for India’s U-19 team, being confused with Harmeet Singh, a former IPL player for India’s U-19 team, didn’t help.
Why did Harpreet not play for so long?
Just a few days before the auction in February 2017, being the top scorer in the Mushtaq Ali event with 211 runs, Harpreet Singh Bhatia was surprisingly optimistic about his chances in the IPL auction.
Instead, a mistake made unintentionally by an overwhelmed desk clerk at ANI led to a shift in his life. Talented young spinner Harmeet Singh, who briefly competed in the IPL with MI, was detained following an altercation at Andheri station. But Harpreet Singh, not Harmeet, was the name that the ANI initially gave. A young player who had battled to return to the IPL after two early seasons with KKR and Pune was dealt a terrible blow.
Despite a later correction, the harm had already been done. The overly cautious franchise officials made the decision to let go on Harpreet. He was later selected by RCB to replace Sarfaraz, but he was never given the opportunity to play.
Harpreet has got a good start in this IPL. The Punjab batter will look to make amends for the lost time with a stellar comeback in this IPL.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
