Nearly two months after remaining unsold in the IPL auction, Madhya Pradesh batsman Harpreet Singh was signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for injured Sarfaraz Khan for the remainder of the tournament.
The 25-year-old’s non-selection had raised quite a few eyebrows for he had topped run charts in the just-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali competition. He had scored 211 runs in four matches for Central Zone at an average of 52.75 and a strike-rate of 145.51 which included a 51-ball 92 against South Zone.
But a case of mistaken identity reportedly put paid to his chances. On the morning of the auction, news agencies reported that Harpreet was arrested in Mumbai for driving his car on to the Andheri railway station platform. The offence, on the contrary, was later revealed to have been committed by Harmeet Singh, the left-arm spinner who was part of the Indian under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2012.
“Initially when I wasn’t picked in the auction I was a little upset,” Harpreet said after joining his teammates here on Thursday. “I was the highest run-getter in the domestic T20 event. There was no clarity on whether I wasn’t picked because of the confusion in names or some other reason.”
“But I never gave up hope and kept working hard because I believed I may get my chances during the course of the tournament. I was thrilled when I got the call-up 2-3 days ago. At RCB, it’s going to be a great learning experience for me and I’m looking forward to this new beginning,” the left-hand batsman added.
