Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 17 (ANI): Former Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar mentioned that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) should play spinner Harpreet Brar in each match, calling him a ‘high quality participant’ who can bowl effectively towards each left and right-handed batters.
Punjab Kings, the 2025 runners-up, can be beginning off their season towards the Gujarat Titans on March 31 at New Chandigarh. In 49 matches for PBKS since 2019, he has taken 35 wickets at a mean of 31.00, with a four-wicket haul to his identify. Final season was his finest season by far, taking 10 wickets in eight matches at a mean of 19.00 and an financial system charge of 8.63, with finest figures of three/22.
Talking on JioHotstar’s ‘Recreation Plan – Know Your Group’, JioStar knowledgeable Bangar mentioned that Yuzvendra Chahal could be bowling the middle-overs, and within the absence of Glenn Maxwell, the Aussie all-rounder who was launched after a poor final season, Brar might give his aspect some helpful overs within the powerplay. He identified that when he was part of the PBKS teaching set-up, he had ‘large confidence’ in Brar, a sluggish left-arm orthodox spinner who has 102 wickets in 105 T20S at a mean of 23.79, together with 4 four-wicket hauls.
‘I don’t suppose there’s strain on Yuzi as such as a result of he bowls within the center overs. They’ve launched Glenn Maxwell, who gave them vital overs within the powerplay. So who’s going to be the powerplay spinner? That is the place I believe Harpreet Brar is a top quality participant. Don’t play him only for match-ups as a result of, after I was a part of that setup, I had large confidence in his skills. At any time when he was given the ball for Punjab, he did the job. I’ve seen it when he was enjoying towards RCB as effectively. From an RCB standpoint, I at all times rated him very, very extremely. Proper-hander or left-hander does probably not matter for him. So play Harpreet Brar, perhaps as an impression participant, however play him in each match,’ he mentioned.
Brar is coming after a stable home run for Punjab, taking 23 wickets in 4 matches at a mean of 21.26, with two five-fors for Punjab within the Ranji Trophy, getting finest figures of 6/38. Within the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the nation’s premier state-level T20 competitors, Brar took 15 wickets in 9 matches at a mean of 15.73 and an financial system charge of 8.13, with a four-wicket haul to his identify. He additionally made a number of Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) appearances for Punjab, taking only one wicket in 4 matches.
Bangar additionally spoke on the significance of Punjab’s opening pair, consisting of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who each had a breakout IPL season final yr, with Priyansh scoring 475 runs in 17 innings at a SR of over 179, together with a century and two fifties, whereas Prabhsimran made 549 runs in 17 matches at a strike charge of over 160, with 4 fifties.
The previous Indian all-rounder expressed concern about how Priyansh will begin off the season after a comparatively quiet home season with Delhi. In eight VHT matches for Delhi, he scored a advantageous 344 runs in eight innings at a mean of 49.14, with a strike charge of 163.80, together with 4 fifties. In two appearances for Punjab within the Ranji Trophy, he made 131 runs in three matches at a mean of 43.67, with a finest rating of 82. Nevertheless, it was his SMAT season which let followers down, scoring simply 197 runs in seven innings at a mean of 28.14, with a strike charge of over 155, with only one fifty to his identify.
Bangar identified how Priyansh should cope with the expectations of carrying the top-order and scale back their aspect’s reliance on abroad gamers.
‘Prabhsimran Singh has been round for a few years now. He has obtained 100 within the IPL as effectively, a few seasons in the past, and has been enjoying commonly for Punjab. Punjab has endured with him. He was considered one of their retentions as an uncapped participant as effectively. So I don’t suppose the second-season blues (to have a second successive robust season) are there for Prabhsimran,’ he mentioned.
‘However Priyansh Arya, what a discover he was for Punjab Kings. It was his batting which made certain that Punjab by no means regarded to make use of their abroad top-order batter, and that’s the reason I really feel there could possibly be just a little little bit of thriller round how Priyansh Arya copes with these expectations, as a result of, to date in home cricket, I believe he had a quiet season. We should see how he begins the season. If he begins the season very well, then I don’t suppose it will be a difficulty, but when he has a run of low scores, then there could possibly be some query marks about that opening mixture,’ he concluded.
Punjab Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026: Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly (Rs 3 Cr), Pravin Dubey (Rs 30 lakh), Vishal Nishad (Rs 30 lakh), Ben Dwarshuis (Rs 4.40 Cr). (ANI)
