Harshit Rana has had a rollercoaster ride in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kolkata Knight Riders' right-arm pacer has impressed with his wicket-taking ability but has also been punished for going overboard with his celebrations.
Rana hogged the limelight for the first time during KKR's curtain raiser of the season. Hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on their home turf at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in match three, KKR unleashed Harshit and he impressed straight away.
He dismissed Mayank Agarwal in the sixth over of SRH's chase and blew a flying kiss to him as a sign of send-off. Harshit's uncanny celebration didn't sit well with many netizens and they slammed him for his antics.
Harshit didn't only cop a barrage of volleys online, he also got sanctioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"Rana committed two Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 of the IPL's Code of Conduct. He was fined 10 percent and 50 percent of his match fees for the two respective offences," an IPL release stated. "Rana admitted to the two offences and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding."
While many may argue that the 22-year-old was rightly pulled up, his offence took the sheen away from his match-winning effort that helped KKR get their campaign off to a rollicking start.
Harshit put the brakes on SRH's impetus and made sure that KKR clinched the nail-biting finish.
Tasked to defend 12 off six deliveries, Harshit found himself in the firing line. He was up against SRH's most feared striker, Heinrich Klaasen and the odds were stacked against him.
Klaasen hammered the first ball for a six over fine leg to stamp his authority and put the pressure back on Rana. But the KKR pacer kept his cool and struck back to give the home crowd a reason to erupt in joy.
He dismissed Shahbaz Ahmed on the third delivery and was brave enough to deliver a slower ball to Klaasen which paid dividends.
He outfoxed the South African as the ball took the outside edge and was held safely by Suyash Sharma at short third. KKR won the game by four runs and Rana played a major role in the victory.
The budding pacer has bagged 11 scalps in eight games this season and is the joint-third-leading wicket-taker for KKR in the ongoing season.
While it is hard to predict how many wickets he will finish with, in the season, one thing is certain he will not compromise on aggression that comes naturally to him.
