A gutsy right-arm medium fast bowler from Haryana who has gone through the rigours of the domestic cricket to rise through the ranks to reach the doors of IPL. Harshal Patel and his journey hasn't been easy, nearly 10 years after first getting picked for IPL, Patel is hoping to have a breakthrough season in 2020.
Harshal Patel took 23 wickets at an impressive average of 11 in the 2008-09 Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. He later made his one-day debut for Gujarat in 2009-10. He was also the part of the ‘India Under-19’ squad for ‘2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup’ but didn’t get the opportunity to play.
Ignored by the Gujarat selectors for the first-class side, Harshal moved to Haryana and made an immediate impact in his debut Ranji Trophy season in 2011-12, running through Karnataka and Rajasthan with consecutive eight-fours in the quarter-final and semi-final.
Harshal Patel had a sensational show in the 2019 Ranji Trophy season, when he picked up 52 wickets in 9 games and broke a 36-year-old Haryana record,
The Ahmedabad-born cricketer also made 292 runs at an average of 22.46, batting mostly at No. 8 in the just concluded Ranji season. In T20s, Patel opened and scored 374 runs at an average of 31.17 in 12 games in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Mumbai Indians bought him for Rs. 8 lakhs for the 2010 Indian Premier League in the auction but as fate would have it, Patel didn’t get a single chance to prove his mettle.
The 29-year-old then became a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2012. However, he was still largely seen as a back-up seamer in the franchise set-up, instead of a first-choice option. He did not get a game in IPL 2013, but was bought back by the franchise in the 2014 player auction for INR 40 lakh. The 2015 season was perhaps the maxima of his performance as he played in 15 matches and took 17 scalps.
In 2018 he was roped in by Delhi Capitals. Harshal Patel was one of the few players to be retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2020; the franchise has shown faith in the 29-year-old seamer who has been a consistent performer for Haryana in first-class cricket
In his 43-match IPL career, he has taken 43 wickets and will be hoping that under Ricky Ponting’s coaching, he will get more chances to show his true caliber.
In Delhi Capitals, Harshal Patel took only 3 wickets in five matches and had an economy rate of nearly 9. After being bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021, Harshal Patel’s fortune took a huge turn.
Harshal played fifteen matches and took 32 wickets, by far the highest in the season. His economy rate also lowered down to 8.14. In the latest season of the IPL, Harshal was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore. He took 19 wickets throughout the season, with an impressive economy rate of 7.66.
After an impressive 2021 IPL, Harshal Patel was selected for the 2021 New Zealand- India T20I series. Harshal played in the second T20I of the series, replacing Mohammed Siraj. On his debut, Harshal dismissed both capable batters, Glenn Philips and Darryl Mitchell.
In his second and the final match of the series, Harshal again impressed everyone with another couple of wickets. The most remarkable feature of his bowling performance was his low economy rate even after being a death bowler.
Then in 2022, Harshal Patel played in a couple of series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Harshal had inconsistent performances, taking a total of 5 wickets in three T20Is against the West Indians and then taking only two wickets against Sri Lanka in three matches, with an economy rate of over 9 per over.
Harshal Patel next featured in a five-match T20I series against the Proteas. The right-arm pacer struggled in the first match with 1 wicket for 43 runs but made a great comeback in the remaining couple of matches. In the second match, Harshal took 1 wicket for a mere 17 runs and then in the next match took an even more impressive 4 wickets for 25 runs.
Next, Harshal played in a three-match T20I series against England. In England, Harshal took 4 wickets in three T20Is, averaging 8.45 with the ball. After suffering a rib injury, Harshal missed the West Indies series and the 2022 Asia Cup.
Harshal made a comeback against the mighty Aussies after recovering from his injuries. He struggled in the initial couple of matches, going for 49 runs in the first match and 32 runs in just two overs in the second match.
In the last match, Harshal took one wicket for 18 runs in two overs.
The right-arm pacer was selected for the three-match T20I series against South Africa in September-October 2022. Harshal bowled incredibly in the first match, dismissing two batters for just 26 runs in 4 overs. In his last couple of matches, Harshal performed miserably, going for over 10 an over and going wicketless.
Harshal is a USA Green Card holder. Though his family emigrated to the USA in 2005, he stayed in India as he wanted to become a cricketer. In 2008, he joined the Aggressive Cricket Club and played in the Cricket League of New Jersey (CLNJ).
