The Royal Challengers Bangalore have announced Harpreet Singh as a replacement for the injured Sarfaraz Khan for the rest of the IPL 2017 season. The 19-year old Sarfaraz was injured while training during a pre-season practice session, and was stretchered off the ground. He hasn’t played a single game this season.
Also read: Mistaken identity costs player potential IPL berth
The replacement, Harpreet Singh, was ignored from the auctions under bizarre circumstances, after being mistaken for Harmeet Singh, a former IPL and Ranji player who was arrested for driving his car into one of the platforms of the Andheri station in Mumbai.
Before the IPL auctions, Harpreet Singh had been in tremendous form, ending as the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The left-handed batsman hit 211 runs in four matches for the Central Zone in the tournament, at an average of 52.75.
Harpreet has previously been part of the Pune Warriors India and the Kolkata Knight Riders, and will join the RCB squad that has got off to a poor start this season, managing just two wins in six games. They are currently placed sixth in the points table.
The Royal Challengers have been hit hard by the injury bug: while KL Rahul has been ruled out for the entire IPL season, Virat Kohli missed the first three matches after recuperating from a shoulder injury. AB de Villiers also missed out the first two matches with a back niggle, forcing the team to announce Shane Watson as their captain.
Sarfaraz Khan, one of the bright young talents to have emerged from the Bangalore franchise a couple of seasons ago, had been assured of a place in the playing XI with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers injured at the start of the season. Yet, a leg injury in the last practice session before the IPL’s start turned out to be a big blow to the 19-year old. Hopefully for Bangalore, Harpreet can fill the void and bolster the middle order.
Watch: Sarfaraz Khan turning heads as a 17-year old against CSK in IPL 2015 (Video courtesy: Star Sports)
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