RCB replace Sarfaraz with Harpreet Singh

Madhya Pradesh batsman Harpreet Singh has been named by Royal Challengers Bangalore as replacement for the injured Sarfaraz Khan. This marks a remarkable turnaround for Harpreet after erroneous reports of his being detained by the police for a driving incident emerged on the day of the IPL auction, in which he went unsold.

Harpreet's good form, however, did not eventually go unnoticed. The left-handed batsman finished as the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali inter-zonal T20 tournament, with 211 runs in four games, and and in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy with 271 runs in five innings at an average of 67.75. It is understood Harpreet has already joined the team and turned out for practice on Wednesday.

A former India Under-19 player, Harpreet had played one match for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010 and three matches for Pune Warriors in 2013. On the day of the IPL auction this year, multiple news agencies and websites had reported that Harpreet was detained for driving his car on to the platform of the Andheri station. It was, however, Harmeet Singh, the left-arm spinner and Harpreet's team-mate in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, who was involved in the incident.

"Initially, when I wasn't picked in the auction I was a little upset because I thought I would make it considering I was the highest run-getter in the domestic T20 event," Harpreet said after signing for RCB. "There was no clarity on whether I wasn't picked because of the confusion in names or some other reason, so that bothered me a little.

"I never gave up hope and kept working hard because I believed I may get my chances during the course of the tournament. I was thrilled when I got the RCB call-up 2-3 days ago. It is going to be a great learning experience for me and I'm looking forward to this new beginning."

Royal Challengers are scheduled to play next on Sunday against Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.