IPL 2021: Harpreet Brar remembers his sheer class against RCB in the season

Punjab Kings off-spinning all-rounder Harpreet Brar was clearly the X-factor player for the Kings in the 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League. Brar was with the franchise for the past two years but he could not get enough chances in the team to show his worth. In this season, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, an opportunity came and the 25-year-old grabbed it with both hands and took three wickets. Those high-profile wickets came in form of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers.

His three wickets enabled Kings to come on top of a dangerous-looking RCB side who until then had won four out of the six encounters.  Due to the increasing number of COVID cases, the IPL had to be suspended, but still, Brar was one of the shining stars for the franchise.

 Harpreet Brar was readying himself to face the Challengers batting order

The left-arm spinner was informed about his selection in the squad a night before and Brar was up for the challenge. “On the eve of the match, I was told to be ready. That night I prepared myself mentally – thinking about how I would bowl to each batsman. I didn’t want to concede too many runs because, in my earlier game [in the 2020 IPL], I had ended up going for 40,” Brar told ESPNCricinfo in an interview.

“I knew if I could restrict the runs, wickets would come automatically. I told myself if Virat Kohli is on strike for the next over, I have to be extra careful. I didn’t want to concede another boundary on the first ball,” added Brar.

The Kings didn’t have a great run in the first half of the season as their overreliance on skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal didn’t help their cause. The bowlers too didn’t live up to the expectations as a big amount was spent on Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson.

The inclusion of Brar in the match against Challengers was a tactical move as de Villiers’ weakness against left-arm spinners is well documented. In past seasons, Krunal Pandya has dismissed the batter four times and hence the inclusion of Brar seemed to work right for the Kings.