Harshit Rana took three wickets in the powerplay that rocked Punjab Kings right at the start and allowed Kolkata Knight Riders to shoot out PBKS for a paltry 111 at home. Rana (3/25) was the most successful bowler while Varun Chakaravarthy (2/21) and Sunil Narine (2/14) chipped in with two apiece.

Rana first picked up Arya's wicket as the batter holed out to Ramandeep Singh. PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer was dismissed first ball with Ramandeep taking a stunning catch yet again. He finally got rid of Prabhsimran Singh to pick up his third victim of the day.

As a result, Harshit Rana became the first Indian to take three wickets inside the powerplay overs for KKR in an IPL inning.

In his own words, Rana has never been intimidated by big stars in the IPL. “From the time I have been playing, I have always wanted to give my best. A lot of very big batters have come up against me. I have never been fazed by the prospect of bowling to big batters.”

As a young pacer, Rana has shown quality to adjust his line and lengths in different formats. Explaining his thought process, the 23-year-old said, “In T20s, the lengths are different and the variations are quite a lot. When it comes to red-ball or 50-over cricket, you must stick to a particular spot. As a young bowler, that is something you always have to concentrate on: how to bowl at one spot for long periods.”

Like most young fast bowlers, Rana had issues with injuries, but his father’s support helped him succeed despite the tough times.

“Whatever I am is because of my father. During the injury phase, I broke down a lot. But my father was always there. He would always tell me that good things would happen... if not today, then tomorrow. And if it didn’t happen also, he would say that he is proud of me due to my hard work,” he had told thehindu in a chat.

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