‘I have always played my cricket like this’ - KKR pacer Harshit Rana relishes his bare on-field emotions displayed during IPL 2024

Kolkata Knight Riders had an exceptional campaign in the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2024. Among the many stars who had a brilliant season with the now-three-time champions, India’s Harshit Rana stood out. The 22-year-old caught the headlines quite early into the tournament as he was suspended for one match following aggressive celebrations. 

Rana pulled out a ‘flying kiss’ celebration after dismissing Mayank Agarwal against SRH on March 23. Furthermore, he had another celebration where he pointed the finger at his lips with a ‘shushing’ celebration as well. The celebrations saw him receive the ban, but despite the downside, Rana managed to comeback and have a breakout season. 

The star pacer took 19 wickets throughout the season, helping KKR win their third IPL title. Recently, the 22-year-old came forward to talk about his aggression on the field and opined that it comes due to him playing with his heart on his sleeve. 

“Next time I will make sure that I will not use it as a send-off. This is my cricket. I have always played my cricket like this. I am a fun-loving guy off the field but on the cricket pitch, I am not there to make friends, I want to win. Abhishek Porel smacked me for 16 runs in my first over, if someone hits you for sixes you can’t laugh. In the next over, I took his wicket, the celebration was my redemption but I got banned,” Rana was quoted as saying by News18. 

This Delhi’s aggression has made Virat Kohli the Virat Kohli he is: Rana

Furthermore, Harshit Rana believed that being from Delhi helped him play aggressively on the field, citing the example of Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Gautam Gambhir, who all hail from Delhi and have done exceptionally well for the Indian team.

“This tag has been given to us. We are from Delhi we play cricket with our heart. This Delhi’s aggression has made Virat Kohli the Virat Kohli he is. Ishant Sharma played 100 Test matches, and Rishabh Pant did that miracle at Gabba. Gautam Gambhir won two World Cup finals for India,” Rana said.