How 'mistaken identity' made Harpreet Singh Bhatia wait for almost 11 years for IPL return

Returning after 10 years and 332 days, Harpreet Singh Bhatia has now become the record holder for the longest gap between 2 appearances in IPL. But who is Bhatia, who came out to play for Punjab Kings in their game against LSG?

The 31-year-old who played a sedate 22-ball 22 had last played an IPL match for Pune Warriors on May 19, 2012. While his performance was not all that impressive, the Chattisgarh-born cricketer has a tragic past that took away the budding cricketer's chance to dazzle on the IPL stage.

A case of mistaken identity ruined left-handed batter's IPL dreams. In 2017 Bhatia went unsold in the auction after a mismatch in the name while reporting a Mumbai accident happened that took place on the morning of the auction. ANI mistakenly exchanged cricketer Harmeet Singh's name with Harpreet because of which franchises decided to not invest in him.

However, Harpreet started over again and eventually got a chance to play in IPL after almost 11 years, this time with Punjab Kings.

He plays domestic cricket for Chattisgarh and has so far appeared in 75 First class, 84 List A and 78 T20 matches.