Former India U19 opener Harnoor Singh scored a century in his first Ranji Trophy appearance for Punjab on Saturday (October 25).
Harnoor Singh scores century in first Ranji Trophy game for Punjab
The second round of India's domestic first-class competition kicked off on Saturday. At the PCA New Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, Punjab skipper Naman Dhir won the toss and elected to bat first against last season's runners-up Kerala. Prabhsimran Singh was the first to fall, for 23, after putting on 52 with Harnoor.
Match 29, Punjab vs Kerala
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Uday Saharan then stitched an 86-run stand with Harnoor, during which the latter got to a half-century off 111 balls. A middle-order wobble then saw Anmolpreet Singh, Dhir and Ramandeep Singh all depart for single-digit scores. Wicketkeeper Salil Arora stuck around with Harnoor as the 22-year-old made it to his maiden first-class century off 207 balls, in the final session of play.
Read more: Two hat-tricks in one innings: Ranji Trophy team achieve ultra-rare first-class feat
At stumps on day one, Punjab were 240-6 in 87 overs, Harnoor batting through the day for 126, with Krish Bhagat for company. This is the opener's first first-class match for Punjab, having played four first-class matches already for Chandigarh in the 2021/22 and 2023/24 Ranji Trophy seasons.
Who is Harnoor Singh?
A tall, left-handed opening batter, Harnoor was part of the Indian team that won the U19 World Cup in 2022. His own tournament was middling, with 141 runs at 23.5. A few of his teammates from that squad – captain Yash Dhull, vice-captain Shaik Rasheed, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Nishant Sindhu – are also active in domestic cricket.
Born in Jalandhar, Harnoor represented Punjab at U16 level in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 Vijay Merchant Trophy. He switched to Chandigarh at U19 level though, in the 2021/22 Vinoo Mankad Trophy. That season, a haul of 419 runs at 209.5 in the national-level U19 Challenger Trophy helped him earn selection to the India U19 side for the Asia Cup, and then the World Cup.
Harnoor debuted for the Chandigarh senior side that same year, playing two Ranji Trophy games. The following season, he played five Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) matches, and in 2023/24 just another two Ranji Trophy fixtures.
He returned to Punjab ahead of the 2024/25 season, during which he played once in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The move did, however, coincide with him earning a first IPL contract. He was picked up by IPL 2025 finalists Punjab Kings for INR 30 lakh, his base price. Harnoor went on to make 497 runs at 55.22 for Punjab in the U23 One-Day Competition, and 549 runs at 42.23 in the CK Nayudu Trophy (U23 four-day competition).
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