"My first Player of the Match award after marriage" - Harpreet Brar dedicates accolade to his wife as PBKS beat RR in IPL 2025 match

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) spinner Harpreet Brar dedicated his Player of the Match award, won after the IPL 2025 against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, to his wife. The left-arm spinner reasoned that he wants to dedicate it to his spouse as it's his first Player of the Match award after getting hitched.

Brar played a critical role in the high-scoring contest against the Royals, snaring figures of 4-0-22-3, halting their onslaught after their breezy start. Coming in as an Impact player, he dismissed Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40), Yashasvi Jaiswal (50), and Riyan Parag (13) to hold off the Royals at 209 in pursuit of 220.

At the post-game presentation, Brar revealed that his only aim was not to present the batters with boundary balls, especially with the way the wicket was behaving. He said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"Feels good. I want to dedicate this award to my wife. This is my first Player of the Match award after marriage.

"Ponting sir has motivated me, worked on a lot of things. My plans were clear - I knew they would look to attack me. The way the wicket was behaving, the way they were batting, I had only one thing in mind - not to give easy boundary balls. I have been working with Sunil Joshi for a few years. Taught me about using the crease, reading batters."

The PBKS spinner had married Molly Sindhu, a few days before IPL 2025 started.

---

PBKS qualify for IPL 2025 playoffs after Gujarat Titans beat the Delhi Capitals

Punjab Kings. (Image Credits: IPL X)

The win over the Royals took Punjab Kings closer to the playoffs, but their spot in the top four was sealed after the Gujarat Titans beat the Capitals later on Sunday. It is also the first time since 2014 that Punjab have qualified for the playoffs.

With PBKS yet to face the Capitals and Mumbai Indians, they will look to finish the league stage in the top two.