There’s no shortage of angles when you speak with Harpreet Brar. One conversation can drift from the craft of T20 cricket to his latest musical release, then to his Punjabi film debut in Rabb Da Radio 3, and even to the medical initiative he has helped organise through his foundation. Yet the thread tying it all together is a simple life lesson he draws from a classic line by 19th-century Punjabi Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, from Saif-ul-Malook—that a gardener should give water wholeheartedly, and whether the plants respond with flowers and fruit is ultimately in God’s hands. Brar says he lives by that mindset.
For Brar, getting to the top has been less about sudden breaks and more about persistence. As a young player, he kept showing up for IPL trials until Punjab Kings—then known as Kings XI Punjab—picked him at the 2019 auction. Even after the call-up, chances were limited. In his first two seasons, he featured in only three matches. The wait stretched further in IPL 2021, when he missed the opening five games, prompting online jibes that he was nothing more than a “water boy.”
Instead of letting the noise decide his direction, Brar focused on turning opportunities into outcomes. When he finally got a game, he made it count by striking in a way that brought immediate attention—dismissing Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell in the same run of impact, a sign that the “fruit” he had been working for was beginning to appear.
Over the next five years, Brar became one of the most reliable wicket-takers in the Punjab setup, with no PBKS player collecting more Player-of-the-Match awards during that stretch. His economy rate in that period was 7.89, yet regular selection hasn’t always followed. In IPL 2025, he spent the first six matches on the bench, and this season began in a similar rhythm. He sat out the first seven games before being given a role against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Punjab Kings did not get the desired result in that encounter as RR chased down 223 in 19.2 overs, but Brar’s spell still carried merit. He finished with 4-0-25-0. Still, the next match isn’t something he can claim as certain; it depends on how the playing XI is balanced. And once Cooper Connolly is cleared to bowl his left-arm spin, Brar’s window could tighten again. When asked how he stays at peace with the shifting selection dynamics, Brar explains that his preparation is built around the belief that he could be in the XI every time.
“There are 25 people in the squad but only 12 can play,” Brar said. “But you go to the ground expecting you are playing every match. That keeps you mentally prepared. If you don’t get a chance, you start preparing for the next game. I think that helps me perform whenever I get an opportunity.”
Brar’s bowling doesn’t rely on extravagant turn. Instead, his strength is reading the batter and shaping the ball with subtle changes. He keeps a close eye on a batter’s feet and makes quiet adjustments that make it difficult to step out with confidence. In IPL matches, his overs most often land in the middle phase—between 7 and 16—where he has an economy rate of 7.17. Since the start of 2021, only Sunil Narine (6.40) has been better in that segment, with a minimum of 500 balls bowled.
Even though middle-overs are his comfort zone, Brar can operate elsewhere. In his most recent game versus RR, he was entrusted with the fifth over and conceded only two runs. That came after RR had already reached 66 for 1, with Yashasvi Jaiswal—batting left-handed—on 21 off seven deliveries. At the death, Brar’s yorker ability gives the captain another option to squeeze runs.
“It’s more about what your captain wants and what the situation demands,” Brar said. “I think I am brave that way – when the captain asks, I always put my hand up. In the nets, I practise with the new ball, the old ball and also with a wet ball. You should be fully prepared so that when you have to do it in the match, it doesn’t feel alien.”
Brar also brings a rare left-arm element to the table—he has been effective whether the batter is right-handed or left-handed. From 2021 onward, his economy versus right-hand batters in the IPL is 7.76, while against left-hand batters it is 8.05. Those numbers are the best among left-arm spinners who have bowled at least 50 balls to left-hand batters in that period.
When he discusses his plan against left-handed batters, Brar’s approach stays simple. “Every left-arm spinner has the same plan: not to bowl in their arc and try to get them off strike. Yes, it is easier for a left-hand batter to play a left-arm spinner but if I want to play for India, then it shouldn’t matter whether a right-hander is on strike or a left-hander.”
He adds that preparing for those matchups is also about understanding patterns within his own squad. “We have a lot of left-hand batters in our team: Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Pannu, Cooper Connolly. When I bowl to them in the nets, I see what deliveries they attack, what kind of fields I can set, how I can give them a single, how I can bowl a dot ball. If there is a chance of getting hit, there is also a chance of taking a wicket.”
Brar’s record also backs up his confidence. He has a better strike rate against left-hand batters, and last year it showed in a high-pressure moment. After RR started briskly, he removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal and then finished the match with figures of 3 for 22, earning Player of the Match. While he tries to keep boundary balls to a minimum, he knows stopping fearless batters ultimately requires wickets. That’s why he stays open to input from every part of the setup, especially the team’s video analyst.
“In 2023 [2022], we were playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad,” Brar recalled. “Our video analyst told me that [Aiden] Markram waits on the back foot against spinners. So I decided I would not give him an easy ball to play off the back foot. Still, he played a couple of front-foot deliveries off the back foot and hit me through covers. But shortly after that, I had him stumped using the same strategy.”
Outside the arena of wickets and overs, Brar’s rhythm is just as noticeable. He has been drawn to music since childhood and has released six songs so far, with Pagg passing two million views on YouTube. When he takes wickets in the IPL, the stadium DJ often plays the track. During IPL 2024, a clip of Brar singing Pagg alongside Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nerha’s sons went viral online.
Brar’s upbeat personality also translates to social media, where he frequently posts light-hearted reels. When asked about the criticism that can follow a rough day in the field, he said he doesn’t get pulled into it. “I personally don’t read comments. But I think people don’t realise we also have a social life. We are not on the ground 24×7. We also go out with friends, have fun like everyone else. If we post those things on social media, it doesn’t mean we are not focused.”
That same online presence has helped him stay mindful of what he owes beyond sport. Through the Harnek Foundation, which he started in memory of his late grandfather, Brar organised a free eye-check camp in his village, Hariewala, last year. He described how the project came together more smoothly because of family support. “I keep seeing these things on social media. Since my wife is also a doctor, it became easier for me. Around 15-16 people underwent surgeries. But I am just a medium. Earlier, I had no resources. Now that everything is there, why not do something about it?”
Brar’s outlook was tested in 2024 when he suffered an ACL injury. During a practice match held before the Ranji Trophy, he twisted his right knee while fielding and had to spend the next two months on bed rest. He called that stretch “the most depressing days of my life.”
“I had never been injured before, so it was very tough for me. At one point, I feared I might not be able to run again. I was supposed to make my Ranji Trophy debut that season after travelling with the squad for four years. After the injury, I felt dejected.”
When his recovery allowed him back, Brar finally got his Ranji Trophy debut last season. He played four matches and took 23 wickets, including a match haul of 11 against Saurashtra, a performance that reaffirmed the belief system he carries into sport and life. “Things happen when they are meant to happen,” he said. “You just need to keep doing your work sincerely. I did not always think this way, but certain incidents, including the ACL tear, changed my perspective. And this applies not just to cricket, but to life itself.”
