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: 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.

The frustration is clear in his words.

“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 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).

Combining a high-arm action with a good jump, Brar relies on accuracy, subtle pace changes and width of the crease to incessantly challenge batters. His consistency is unfailing, yet no two balls are alike.

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?

“And how can I play more?” he adds with a slight laugh.

Brar calls it a “very difficult situation” dealing with constant switch-outs from the first XI.

“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.”

Despite the uncertainty, Brar has found the captain-coach combination of Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer to be extremely forthright and pragmatic.

“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.

“It’s important to be practical in life, because you can improve on things you’re weak in. And obviously, they also have a very positive attitude.”

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