Australia batter who tormented India in U19 World Cup two years back, gets closer to pro cricket, earns state contract

Harjas Singh earns first professional state contract. Here's all you need to know.

Published on: May 12, 2026, 07:55:05 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Harjas Singh, the 21-year-old batter who represented Australia in the 2024 U19 World Cup, is getting closer and closer to making his long-awaited professional debut. According to Fox Cricket, the left-handed batter has earned a contract with New South Wales for the 2026-27 season. It is worth mentioning that he first grabbed global headlines last summer after scoring a triple century during a one-day fixture for the Western Suburbs’ first-grade side.

Harjas Singh earns first professional state contract (Harjas Singh - Instagram)

He smashed 314 runs off just 141 balls against the Sydney Cricket Club in Ashfield, including 35 sixes. This was the highest individual score in Australian premier first-grade limited-over history, and he finished the season with 1109 runs across both formats for the Western Suburbs.

Harjas had also played a key role in Australia's U19 World Cup win in 2024. In the final against India, he was the standout batter, scoring 55 runs off 64 balls, including three fours and as many sixes.

Also Read: Virat Kohli ‘very sensitive to criticism', once got ‘cold’ towards Sanjay Manjrekar at toss: ‘Gets to know what’s said'

On Tuesday, Cricket New South Wales confirmed that Harjas has indeed earned a maiden contract with the state, joining the likes of Charlie Anderson and Jake Scott on the rookie list, while fellow young gun Riley Kingsell was elevated to a full contract.

“This is an exciting time for the Blues, with an opportunity for our stable playing group to build further momentum and compete strongly across both formats,” Greg Mail, Cricket NSW Chief Cricket Performance Officer, said in a statement.

“We are excited by the growth from within our system, highlighted by the elevation of Riley Kingsell to a full contract and Harjas Singh to the rookie list. We’re also pleased to welcome Bryce Jackson to our program. Bryce’s white-ball record is excellent, and he adds pace and depth to our bowling attack," he added.

Brad Haddin coach

Earlier this year, New South Wales roped in former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin as the new head coach.

“NSW cricket has been an integral part of my life, and to rejoin the fold as Blues Head Coach is a proud moment for myself and my family,” Haddin said in a statement.

“Wearing the baggy blue was incredibly special and gave me some of the greatest memories of my career. I am looking forward to working with our current crop of talented players to bring back an aura to NSW cricket and to have a team with a formidable, distinctive style of play we can all be proud of," he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Harjas Singh

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.