One of the reasons behind the superb journey for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024, to clinch their third trophy of the tournament, has been the incredible performances of their young pacers, and Harshit Rana is one of those.
The pace and aggression he showed on the field with the ball in hand throughout the two months was spectacular. Whether being introduced in the powerplay with the new ball, or in the middle overs, Rana has made difference to the flow of the game either with a silent over or by taking wickets to break partnerships
‘I am not there to make friends in the cricket field’ – Harshit Rana
With his pace and accuracy, Harshit Rana was quite effective in the various grounds and different conditions. However, he was banned for one-match after giving a flying kiss to Mayank Agarwal during Kolkata’s opening fixture against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens.
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Rana told that the ban never made difference on how he wanted to show the aggression inside the boundary. Even he mentioned about that his personality is around funny nature, and how he likes to be competitive in the ground. However, he insisted that he won’t use the celebration next time.
“This is my cricket. I’ve always player my cricket kike this. Mai off the field bahut fun aap kisi se puch lo but ab cricket field dosti karne thodi na aaye hai (I am a fun-loving guy off the field but in the cricket field, I’m not there to make friends, I want to win,” Harshit Rana spoke in an interview with Indian Express.
The Delhi-born also shared an incident with opponent opener Abhishek Porel, playing against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
“Abhishek Porel smacked me for 16 runs in my first over. Ab chakke lagenge to ego hurt hoga na, smile toh nahi karunga na (If someone hits you for a six, then will you laugh)?. In the next over, I took his wicket, the celebration was my redemption but I got banned,” Rana remarked in the interaction.
When the Knight Riders got the better of the Hyderabad side during the final of the IPL 2024, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Rana celebrated the victory celebration with the trophy, as their team’s co-owner Shah Rukh Khan asked everyone to give a flying kiss.
Harshit Rana revealed that promise that SRH gave to him about the celebration.
“After I got banned for one match, I was very sad and then Shah Rukh sir came to me and said, ‘Tu tension mat le ye wali celebration Trophy ke saath karenge (We will do this celebration of the IPL trophy with a flying kiss). He promised me and made sure that we did that with the trophy and our team,” Harshit Rana added in the interview.
The 22-year-old also spoke about his father’s dream to watch him bowl for the national team, and how he has played a huge role in the growth of Rana’s career.
“Hands down my father (Pradip Rana), a hammer thrower. He always wanted me to take up any sport and represent India. I was never a cricket-crazy kid, bas doston ke sath gully mohalle mey khel liya. I just used to play with my friends in the streets,” Rana concluded.
Harshit Rana ends the IPL 2024 season, with 19 wickets at an economy of 9.08, as he was the joint fourth highest wicket-taker of the tournament. If he keeps doing the wicket-taking job, the India days are not too long for the pacer.