IPL 2021: Bindaas Brar bags his prize

Harpreet Brar

Punjab Kings (PBKS) left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar has been a part of the franchise since the tournament's 2019 edition but hadn't got a single wicket in the previous three matches he played for them. However, in his first IPL-14 match on Friday, against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Brar got three prized wickets - RCB skipper Virat Kohli (35), Glenn Maxwell (0) and AB de Villiers (3) - to finish with 3-19 off four overs in his team's 34-run win in Ahmedabad.

So what changed this time?

"I took unnecessary pressure while playing my earlier [three] games, so this time I just wanted to play bindaas [carefree] cricket. I didn't want to take too much stress and just played my natural game," Brar said at the post-match virtual press conference on Friday night.

Brar conceded 17 runs in his first two overs. Then, in his third, he clean bowled Kohli and Glenn Maxwell (0) off successive deliveries. He was denied a hat-trick by De Villiers but eventually dismissed the South African on the very first ball of his fourth over - De Villiers giving a straightforward catch to KL Rahul in the cover region. "My strategy was to hit the right length and not get worried even if he [Kohli] hits me for a boundary," said Brar, who shortened his length, anticipating that Kohli could step out for a big hit.

For De Villiers, Brar's plan was to restrict the runs. "I was bowling slightly away [outside the off-stump] from De Villiers. As the ball was gripping a bit, I kept a slip and brought the cover fielder a little closer to the batsman. I wanted to bowl a dot ball but got a wicket instead," added Brar.

Earlier, Rahul's unbeaten 91 off 57 balls (7x4, 5x6) and a 24-ball 46 (6x4, 2x6) from Chris Gayle saw PBKS post an impressive 179-5 in their allotted 20 overs. In
reply, RCB finished on 145-8.