HYDERABAD: When Madhya Pradesh batsman Harpreet Singh woke up on February 20, he was certain of getting picked by an Indian Premier League (IPL) team at the auctions, considering he had amassed a truckload of runs in the domestic T20 competition (211 in four games), which was succeeded by an equally fruitful domestic One-day champ-ionship.
But what followed was a series of unfortunate events due to a case of mistaken identity, which resulted in him not getting picked by any of the eight franchises. Exactly two months later, on April 20, news of the southpaw being offered a contract, as replacement for the injured Sarfaraz Khan, by the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore spread, and it vindicated everything. “I’m happy I finally got selected by an IPL team,” the 25-year-old told Express.
The happiness has come the hard way. On the day of the auctions, reports were being circulated on social media stating that Harpreet had been arrested for driving his car into the Andheri railway station. But actually, it was his 2010 U-19 World Cup teammate Harmeet Singh who had been arrested. As a result, none of the teams bid for him.
But he was not someone to give up after going through such an ordeal. The six-footer had told Express that his reputation had suffered a huge blow, but he would keep giving his best. He never skipped training, and the result has untied all the tricky knots for him. “I kept on training to be ready for any moment that an opportunity presented itself. I’m feeling good now,” Harpreet, who had also represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors in the past, exclaimed.
The Chhattisgarh native had been going about his daily training schedule when he got the call. “I was at the gym training, when I received the call.” Asked what he wished to do if given a chance during the troubled RCB’s campaign this season, he said, “I would like to perform the same role that I did for my state.”
Harpreet has already joined the squad in Kolkata for their tie against KKR on Sunday. “I trained with the squad on Thursday, and am looking forward to this journey. I would love to contribute in whatever way I can to the team,” he signed off.
vishal@newindianxpress.com