Harpreet Brar couldn’t have asked for a better way to announce himself in the 2021 VIVO Indian Premier League, as he managed to upstage Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB De Villiers on his season debut. The left-arm spinner was the centre of attention on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as his splendid performance with ball and bat helped Punjab Kings pick up their third win of the season.

Making his season debut against an in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore, Harpreet Brar walked out to bat with his team in a spot of bother at 118/5. The southpaw however showed great composure as he expertly maneuvered the spinners to ensure Punjab Kings didn’t lose any more wickets. Brar then showed some firepower to close out the innings with a bang, as he scored one four and two sixes to ensure the team scored 179 runs in the first innings.

It was in the second innings however that Harpreet truly weaved his magic. The left-arm spinner was hit for a four and a six in his first two overs by Virat Kohli, but he came back with a befitting reply as he knocked over the Indian captain in his third over.

Brar followed that up with a brilliant turning delivery that beat the outside edge of Glenn Maxwell’s bat to crash into the off stump. In his final over, he also managed to despise one of the most legendary players of the IPL, AB De Villiers, capping off a fine performance with figures of 3/19.

“I wasn't overwhelmed when Kohli hit me because a bowler always gets a second chance to come back. My first IPL wicket was Kohli Paaji's wicket and that was very special. It came out in a flow after that, your body opens up, you get confident and things fall in place,” said Brar in the post-match interview.

Brar was recognised as man of the match for his efforts, but alongside that also got recognised by some of the most knowledgeable cricket minds all over social media. Here are some of the best tweets in praise of Harpreet Brar for his splendid performance.