10 Bizarre cases of mistaken identity in cricket

8. When Harpreet Singh missed out an IPL contract due to mistaken identity

Harpreet Singh was in rich form during the 2016-17 domestic season. He scored two fifties and a 40+ score across four innings during the Zonal edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 a month before the IPL auction. But the news of Mumbai cricketer Harmeet Singh’s arrest cost Harpreet an IPL contract due to mistaken identity. Harmeet, who was Harpreet’s teammate during the 2010 U19 World Cup, drove car into the platform of Andheri railway station.

The Madhya Pradesh batsman remained unsold and an official of a franchise revealed why they didn’t pick. According to Indian Express, a team official was quoted saying, “We wanted to buy him, but as news came of Harpreet’s arrest, we decided not to do so since it would give the franchise a bad image. But later, when the auction got over, we came to know it was Harmeet and not Harpreet.” Harpreet got into RCB as a replacement player for the injured Sarfaraz Khan.

7. When Usman Khawaja was mistaken for a Pakistan player

Usman Khawaja, born in Islamabad, moved to Australia along with his family at a very young age. His excellence in the domestic circuit helped him to earn the Baggy Green in 2011. During Pakistan’s tour of Australia in 2016-17, Khawaja was set to play a Test match at the Gabba; the home ground of his Australian domestic team.

Answering a question about facing his birth country at the pre-match press conference, Khawaja revealed about a mistaken identity incident he faced earlier that day. Khawaja was waiting downstairs to access the dressing room. A Queensland Cricket lady came down and thought of helping out Khawaja. She mistook Usman to be a Pakistan cricketer and soon the left-handed batsman understood the situation.