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Harpreet Brar, the silent warrior of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), who has clinched the scalps of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers and many others for the team in his Indian Premier League (IPL) career, wants to add the scalp of Shubman Gill to his list of memorable wickets.
Like the Punjab Kings, who are yet to claim their maiden IPL trophy, Harpreet is also waiting for his moment to trick Shubman Gill with his left-arm spin. Ahead of the 2027 IPL, the 30-year-old recalled some of his best moments with the Kings and also opined against the controversial Impact Player rule in IPL.
Harpreet Brar dismissed Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell in back-to-back deliveries
PBKS picked Harpreet Brar ahead of the 2019 season for his base price of INR 20 lakh remains with the team to date. He first took the headlines in 2021 when he picked up 3 for 19 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In two consecutive deliveries against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he knocked out Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell from the crease before removing AB de Villiers in the match.
From Virat and Rohit to the latest sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Harpreet Brar cemented his position as a bowler in need for the Kings. So far in 48 innings, he has claimed 37 wickets with an economy rate of 7.99 in the Indian Premier League.
Definitely like to take Shubman Gill’s wicket: Harpreet Brar
During a recent interview, Harpreet told Cricbuzz that the current India captain in Tests and ODIs, Shubman Gill, is someone who has never lost his wicket against him, because there were barely any instances when these two collided against each other. Despite being a wicket-taker, PBKS mostly used Harpreet Brar as a backup option since 2019. Therefore, he received a limited number of chances to display his skills against all of the top batters of the league.
"After Virat paaji, there’s no batsman whose aura is such that their wicket can be remembered. But still, I haven’t yet dismissed Shubman Gill in the IPL. Abhishek (Sharma), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal… mostly everyone else," Harpreet Brar said.
"I would definitely like to take Gill’s wicket in my career. But for the last 3-4 years, whenever there’s a match against him, I am not playing," he added.
The 30-year-old believes the Impact Player has limited his game time, as in the modern-day T20 format, teams mostly prefer those bowlers who can add some value with the bat as well. Brar is purely a bowler, not an all-rounder.
Harpreet Brar opines against the Impact Player rule in IPL
As PBKS has Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai, who can both bat and bowl, there remains very little room for Brar to be in the playing combination as a regular player. Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal are the only two bowlers in the team who lack batting skills. So, Brar hopes to see the Impact Player rule diluted soon from the Indian Premier League.
"But in the future, whenever the Impact Player rule stops, and I wish it happens…because if our batting comes first, I will not be in the team... If bowling comes, I will be in the team. If the total is more, the pacer plays. This is how it is," he expressed.
