Prabhsimran selected in Harbhajan-led senior side for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

CHANDIGARH: In only a couple of months, Patiala wicket-keeper batsman Prabhsimran Singh, 18, has gone from little known player to million-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) buy and now worth a spot in the Punjab senior side for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
On Monday here, Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) announced the 15-member squad for the domestic T20 tournament to be played in Indore from February 21 to 28.India's veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh will lead the team. Prabhsimran's stellar outing in the junior circuit had first prompted Kings XI Punjab to pick him up for Rs 4.8 crore in the IPL auction of 2019.
Congratulated upon making it to the Punjab senior T20 side, the swashbuckling middle-order batsman said: "I'm approaching the tournament just as any other competition where I go in to do my best. It's my first stint with the senior team, so I am looking forward to the challenge."
Last June, after national selectors overlooked him for the Indian under-19 team, the Patiala lad took his frustration out on Amritsar by scoring a strokeful 298 in the semifinals of Punjab under-23 inter-district cricket tournament. His runs came off just 301 balls and included 194 in boundaries. Prabhsimran, who is also Punjab's under-19 captain, hit 29 fours and 13 sixes in that knock, falling short of an epic triple century by just two runs. He had amassed 549 runs in Cooch Behar Trophy.
The IPL has turned him from an unknown entity into somewhat of a mystery star. "The auction is past," Prabhsimran said: "Right now, my focus is on performance. I'm keen to pouch any opportunity that comes my way." His cousin Anmolpreet Singh, whom Mumbai Indians have picked up in the IPL auction for Rs 80 lakh, is with him on the squad. Punjab's top-order batsman Shubman Gill made his India debut in the last New Zealand one-day series.
Punjab's other batting regulars such as Yuvraj Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, and Manan Vohra have also made it to the T20 squad. The bowling attack will be led by former India pacer Manpreet Singh Gony. Barinder Sran, Baltej Singh, and Sandeep Sharma complete the pace quartet.
Punjab will miss the services of leg-spinner Mayank Markande and medium pacer Siddarth Kaul, both of whom have been selected to represent the country against Australia. Prolific all-rounder Karan Kaila has come into the squad along with Ludhiana all-rounder Krishna.
In Indore, Punjab will open their campaign with a group C fixture against Madhya Pradesh on February 21. Punjab will challenge Mumbai on February 22, Saurashtra on February 24, Sikkim on February 27, and Goa on February 28 before they go into their last league match on March 2 against Railways.
Squad: Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, Shubhman Gill, Gurkirat Singh Mann, Anmolpreet Singh, Sharad Lumba, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Manpreet Singh Grewal, Baltej Singh, Barinder Sran, Sandeep Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh (c), Karan Kaila, Krishan