Punjab medium pacer Harshal Patel shared his ambition to reach the level of Jasprit Bumrah in T20 cricket, emphasizing that Bumrah is not only a competitor but also an inspiration to him. Harshal made these comments after regaining the Purple Cap from Bumrah with a two-wicket haul for PBKS against Rajasthan in an IPL 2024 match in Guwahati on Wednesday, May 15.
Harshal Patel played an important role in washing out the top scorer of Rajasthan Royals. He dismissed Riyan Parag and big-hitter Donovan Ferreira. He concluded with figures of 2 for 28 on a sluggish pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Harshal effectively utilized his slower-ball yorkers, playing a pivotal role in PBKS restricting RR to 144 for 9 in 20 overs.
“It’s been a see-saw battle. Bumrah is not just a competitor, he is someone I have always looked up to. I always aspire to be as good as him. It’s great that we are in this competition for the purple cap,” Harshal Patel said.
In IPL 2024, Harshal Patel has impressed with 22 wickets in 13 matches, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah by 2 wickets. Despite facing challenges, Harshal has bounced back strongly in the latter part of the tournament, consistently claiming wickets.
Harshal also talked about this special dipping yorker and said, “It is a difficult delivery to execute. But I have a lot of confidence in that delivery. I have to have the confidence to execute it in pressure situations. It’s that kind of a delivery where if you don’t have the feel you can’t execute it. It gives me so many options at the death.”
