It was a flat pitch, with 180 as the par score but the conditions in Jaipur were also suitable for spinners what with 45 degrees of the afternoon heat caking up the pitch, even though the ground staff was seen giving it some water to keep the pitch moist.
And even as other bowlers were plundered for runs, one spinner stood out on the evening.
Harpreet Brar -- signed by Punjab for Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million), with limited game opportunities this season -- made himself count with a superb three-wicket haul to help Punjab Kings inch closer to the coveted play-offs spot.
Punjab recorded a narrow 10 run win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday, May 18, 2025, to jump to the second spot.
PBKS were later assured of a spot after Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals in the second match on the day.
Electing to bat, Punjab put on a mammoth 219 for 5 after a 37-ball 70 from Nehal Wadhera and then an unbeaten 50 at the back end from Shanshank Singh.
Chasing 220, Rajasthan Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 runs off 25 balls) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (40 runs from 15 balls) started attacking the Punjab bowlers from the get go and were galloping at the speed of light -- they put on 67 for no loss in just 4 overs.
With pacers Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett taken to the cleaners, Shashank Singh, who was standing in for an injured Shreyas Iyer as captain, made a much needed change.
He handed the ball to Impact Player Brar, who subbed Iyer in the second innings.
Rajasthan went hammer and tongs in the first four overs, dealing in only fours and sixes until the second ball of the 5th over when the left-arm spinner was introduced.
Brar was foxy in spells and there were very few loose balls -- precisely two in his opening over that Vaibhav dispatched for back-to-back fours.
Brar then bowled the partnership-ending ball -- a yorker length, quick ball on the off stump, the teenager looked to loft it over long off, only to get a leading edge and the fielder, backpedalling from mid-off and taking a fine overhead catch to affect the first breakthrough.
Jaiswal continued in his merry ways and was joined by Sanju Samson as Jansen and Yuzvendra Chahal were clobbered for 24 runs in two overs. Brar bowled with discipline and guile to give just 5 singles in his second over.
He struck again in his third over.
Jaiswal completed his fifty off the first ball of the over with a single down to the leg side. But two balls later, Brar flighted the ball, inviting Jaiswal go after him. The batter took the bait but played a tired-looking shot, got no power into it and was caught at long off.
Four overs later, with Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel rotating the strike and beginning to find the gaps, another breakthrough was needed and Shashank called on his trusted spinner.
Brar answered the call and removed Parag. He bowled the batter with a quicker, short ball, Parag looked to swing across the line and was beaten as the ball went under the bat, hit the pad and then kissed the leg stump taking off the bails along with it.
This season, Brar has bowled just 12 overs, picking 7 wickets at an economy of 7.92.
Brar has never basked in the limelight despite putting in a few match-winning performances over the last two seasons.
On Sunday, he did well to kill the notion that left arm spinners are not effective against left arm batters as he clearly took out the Rajasthan southpaws for his first two wickets.
What stands out is his subtlety in his bowling. There is nothing wild about him but yet not ordinary as he varied his pace well -- like in the Parag dismissal -- and mixing his lengths to fox batters.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Punjab Kings Spin Bowling Coach Sunil Joshi -- a fine left-arm spinner in his hey day -- praised Brar, saying: 'He has been very consistent. Last year, he also bowled really well. Whenever he has received the opportunity, he has performed. And today as well, he made a big difference.'
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