Punjab Kings batter, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, made his return to the IPL after an 11-year absence. Bhatia last played in the IPL back in 2012 and his return to the tournament comes after a gap of 3,981 days, making it the longest gap between two IPL appearances.
Bhatia was included in the Punjab Kings’ playing XI against the Lucknow Super Giants, replacing the injured Shikhar Dhawan.
Bhatia’s return to the IPL after such a long gap is an inspiring story of perseverance and hard work. He continued to perform well in domestic cricket after being overlooked for the IPL for so many years.
Bhatia’s return is not the only one after such a long gap. Matthew Wade (3,962 days), Wayne Parnell (3,242 days), Rilee Rossouw (2,899 days), and Colin Ingram (2,862 days) have also made a comeback to the IPL after long gaps. The previous biggest gap for an Indian player was 2,181 days, held by Shreevats Goswami (2012-18).
STAT: Biggest gap bw two IPL appearances
3981 days Harpreet Singh Bhatia bw 2012 & 2023
3962 days Matthew Wade bw 2011 & 2022
3242 days Wayne Parnell bw 2014 & 2023
2899 days Rilee Rossouw bw 2015 & 2023
2862 days Colin Ingram bw 2011 & 2019
The previous biggest gap for an Indian player: 2181 days by Shreevats Goswami (2012-18)
