Harpreet Brar: The Impact Player collateral waiting for more chances

Harpreet Brar has now seen seven seasons at Punjab Kings. That includes one rebranding, seven captains, several chops and changes, and an eternal quest for their first title. Out of those seven, Brar has played only two full seasons. Still, no PBKS spinner has taken more wickets since his debut. For a team in a seemingly constant flux, Brar’s left-arm spin has been a rare and silent constant since 2019.

For the average fan, one memory of Brar surely sticks out: the triple-strike against RCB two years into his IPL career. Yet unheralded, he cleaned up Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell off consecutive balls before nabbing AB de Villiers. Ask him how often it comes up, and he quips: “Yes, they asked me in another interview ten minutes ago.” Brar has pocketed Maxwell three more times, and Kohli once more in the IPL.

The ‘victims’ column is diverse and rich in names: from Rohit Sharma to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the IPL’s who’s-who tend to feature. For him, no-one matches Kohli on that list. “After Virat paaji, there’s no batsman whose aura is such that their wicket can be remembered,” he tells Cricbuzz. “But still, I haven’t yet dismissed Shubman Gill in the IPL. Abhishek (Sharma), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal… mostly everyone else.

“I would definitely like to take Gill’s wicket in my career,” he adds. “But for the last 3-4 years, whenever there’s a match against him, I am not playing.”

The last part becomes a recurring theme of the conversation. In the past two seasons, Brar has occupied far more time on the bench than on the field. In IPL 2026, he made one appearance each in April and May. The first was a spell of 0-25 from four overs in a 222 vs 228 game against Rajasthan Royals. In the other, he took 2-35 against RCB, dismissing Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal - two of four wickets to fall in a total of 222.

Logically, those two performances in a run-heavy season should warrant more game time, especially for someone with a proven track record in the IPL. Yet Brar’s entire role has changed significantly with the Impact Player rule. In a traditional setup, he would secure a spinner’s role, while providing batting cushion down the order - Brar featured at No.7 for the Kings in the pre-Impact Player era. Now, his batting role is next to nil, and instead of being an automatic starter, he’s rotated in based on matchups. On flatter surfaces, additional batting depth, or a fast bowler, is preferred.

“Sir,main na sirf kaam hi kar sakta hu(I can only work on things),” he cuts back, when asked what he has been specifically working on in his batting. “Because you know what, the way cricket is going on now, there is the Impact Player (rule), because of which I have gone down one spot further (in the batting order). If I play, there’s only Arshdeep (Singh) and Yuzipaaji(Chahal) after me.Because Marco Jansen also bats. Even if Azmatullah (Omarzai) plays, he will go above me.

“But in the future, whenever the Impact Player rule stops, and I wish it happens…because if our batting comes first, I will not be in the team,” he explains. “If bowling comes, I will be in the team. If the total is more, the pacer plays. This is how it is.”

This wish for an end to the Impact Player rule has shown signs of coming true. Ahead of the 2026 season, the clause came up at a Captains’ Meeting. Several high-profile players have spoken against it, and the franchises will be asked for their feedback on the rule. Indications thus far have been that Impact Players will remain a part of the league for at least one more season.

“Personally, Impact Player is not good for me because I want to play all games,” Brar repeats. “Every player wants to play more. So yeah, I have been working on my batting - I have been doing that for eight years. But I am not getting enough chances.”

It hasn’t helped that the Kings’ spin attack doesn’t run beyond Chahal. This season, they bowled the least percentage of spin across all teams (18.7), taking the least number of wickets with it (14). Historically, it’s the joint-lowest in a season for the Kings. The two seasons they reached the final (2014 & 2025), they gained their highest share of wickets through spin (33 & 32).

His reputation extends beyond the IPL too: among spinners, he is the highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy since 2023, also shedding his white-ball-only profile by featuring in the Ranji Trophy for the first time last year. But the lack of IPL time has had a knock-on effect: he hasn’t played any professional cricket since May.

Last month, he featured in PBKS’s off-season camp alongside five other players, getting undivided time with the S&C and assistant coaches. “I worked on plenty of things in detail,” he says. “How can I get better… how can I bowl better?

“When you do well for your team, and suddenly, you are not in the first XI for the next game.Dukh lagta hai(it hurts) but as a cricketer, team always comes first, which is our motto,” he says. “We must go as per the demands of the team. But it doesn't mean that if I am not playing, I’ll just sit and feel low.”

“They are very similar kinds of people. And they are very practical people,” Brar says. “If I have a question in mind, I will go and ask them. They will always answer it in the right manner.

Brar tries to get hold of Iyer and Ponting whenever they’re alone, asking about their own experiences of playing, and being comfortable enough to ask questions about his own non-selection, and ways to get back in.

In a constant hustle to get more game time, he has trained his eyes elsewhere too, including the United Kingdom. His wife is a practising doctor there, which organically takes them over post IPL. But the search is always on for cricketing opportunities too.

This year, he played club matches in the UK after the IPL. The logic was simple: if there’s a chance to play cricket, he’ll grab it. “Even when you go for some free time after the IPL, say for a vacation.

“Even if matches are on the weekend, I want to play and stay associated with the game whenever I have free time,” he says.

Last year, a similar search brought him close to the India Test team. During the England tour, Brar happened to be around when the national team was practicing in Birmingham. Not willing to let go of the opportunity, he sent a text to captain Gill, asking if he could train too.

“He said, ‘Yes, you can come,’” says Brar. “So, I managed to practice with the team. I think Shubman himself didn't come that day. It was optional practice.But I practiced with the rest and really liked it. Also, it’s always great to meet your own people on foreign soil!”

For now, Brar is back on home soil, playing the state T20 league in Punjab, re-employing the white-ball tricks he’s perfected, after a brief tryst with the red ball. But the biggest challenge comes later in the year - a second Ranji season, a chance to silently prove and pivot to the other side, diversifying his opportunities as a player. In the Impact Player era, there can be little headway in being a specialist T20 spinner starved of opportunities.

He hit all the right notes in his debut Ranji season (2025/26), claiming 23 wickets at 21.26, comfortably the most among Punjab bowlers. A few more high-profile victims were added to his tally: KL Rahul, for one, would not forget the ripper that roared past him and flattened his middle stump.

“Personally, I feel I can play Test cricket for India,” Brar says. “And for that, I am willing to put in all the hard work needed and will even exceed that in the future.”

This is part of the Cricbuzz series - IPL Off-Season - where we will bring you stories from the T20 tournament all through the year. For more stories from the series, click here.

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