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Prabhsimran Singh and all about a sporting joint family
While the young PBKS batter hit a maiden IPL ton against DC, cousin Anmolpreet plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad and his two sisters are national handball players
This is a joint household alright in Patiala, but with a difference. It particularly comes alive during IPL these days. Some evenings the family is up to watch Anmolpreet Singh bat for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and on some other days they are rooting for his younger cousin Prabhsimran Singh as he hits the bowlers out of the park for Punjab Kings (PBKS).
On Saturday evening, Prabhsimran lit up the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi smashing his maiden IPL century (a 65-ball 103) against Delhi Capitals (DC). He became only the seventh uncapped cricketer to reach triple figures in IPL. It wasn’t his first big knock at the ground through. The 22-year-old Punjab player hit his first first-class century (123) also at the same ground, against Himachal Pradesh in 2022.
“The atmosphere at home was festive. We all sat in front of the TV after dinner to see Simmy (Prabhsimran) bat. He batted like a dream,” said his mother Jasbir Kaur. Prabhsimran took up playing cricket seriously after watching Anmolpreet, 25, training.
It is indeed a cricket family. Anmolpreet’s younger brother Tejpreet Singh plays for the Punjab U-23 team. Prabhsimran’s sisters are national level handball players. Anmolpreet’s father Satvinder Singh was also an India handball player.
On Saturday, Prabhsimran overcame a slugglish Ferozeshah Kotla pitch where other batters struggled to get going. The confidence and swagger with which Prabhsimran took on the DC bowlers showed the kind of form he is in.
“I have hit a couple of 100s for Punjab in domestic cricket, but this ton is very special. I dedicate this knock to my uncle (Anmolpreet’s father) and Yuvraj (Singh) paaji,” said a beaming Prabhsimran in an interview with teammate Harpreet Singh.
Prabhsimran paced his innings well, scoring 27 off his first 30 balls before exploding with the next 76 runs coming off just 35 balls, the innings helped further by his 72-run partnership with Sam Curran.
“He can destroy the opposition on his day. He is very fearless. The Delhi stadium is a happy hunting ground for Simmy,” said Satvinder Singh.
A wicketkeeper-batter, Prabhsimran was first picked by Punjab Kings for ₹4.8 crore four years ago. He was released the next season with the team buying him back for ₹55 lakh in the 2020 auction. They again released him and bought him for ₹60 lakh in the 2022 auction. He had played only six matches across four IPL seasons, but has played 12 this season, a sign of his growth in the team.
PBKS spin coach Sunil Joshi, the former India player and national selector, said after the win that eliminated DC: “Talent was always there, it is his maturity has changed. Prabhsimran has started thinking about the game and respecting the bowlers also. That has helped him a lot, staying calm in different situations.”
Prabhsimran also captained the India U-19 team to the Youth Asia Cup in 2018, beating Sri Lanka in the final.
Joshi said after the Delhi kock: “He got a lot of starts but could not convert them. It is just the beginning. A young player with a lot of talent; he will get a lot of opportunities. If you go back 12 months or less than a year, he has performed well in Vijay Hazare and T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”
An opener who often bats alongside Shubman Gill or Abhishek Sharma for Punjab, he is known to attack the bowling irrespective of the format. He made his T20 debut for Punjab in 2019 and his Ranji Trophy debut last season. Since he played for India U-19, Prabhsimran has been backed by the Punjab Cricket Association. He is even said to be in the reckoning for the captaincy of the senior state team.
“He has done well in Ranji Trophy, so that form has given him a lot of exposure. And being in the nets with different coaches, different players, different international players, that has really helped, and he has got better,” Joshi added.
