Gurnoor Brar's IPL snub and meteoric rise (Source: AFP)
India’s newest pace sensation, Gurnoor Brar’s meteoric rise is one of the most exciting stories in modern Indian cricket. In a time when the Indian Premier League is considered the primary scouting and testing ground for the Indian national team, given its high-pressure, international-standard format, Brar stands out for lacking extensive IPL experience.
In the recent times, the IPL has produced an immense number of players who went on to become huge assets for the national team. Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav are the prime examples for the same.
However, Gurnoor Brar’s lack of IPL experience seems to be one of the reasons for his seamless transition to international cricket.
Not IPL, Brar credits India A experience for rapid ascent
“The India A setup is a big thing for me. If we perform in the Ranji Trophy, we get picked for India A, the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Cup. I tried to bowl the same way I did in Ranji, bowling fast, hitting a hard length and swinging the ball,” Brar said after India’s series-clinching 170-run win on Wednesday.
A tall and lanky right-arm pacer from Punjab, Gurnoor Singh Brar honed his skills as a net bowler for Mumbai Indians before being drafted in as a replacement player for Punjab Kings in IPL 2023.
Recognising his potential, Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans secured his services for INR 1.3 Crore at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. However, he is yet to make his debut for the side and has only played a solitary IPL game back in 2023.
Brar credited his time at Gujarat Titans, despite not playing a game, for accelerating his development.
“There is Ashish Nehra sir, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Ishant Sharma. I learnt a lot by watching them. Every player wants to play, but I focused on learning so that when I got my chance, I could do better.”
How Gurnoor Brar’s IPL snub helped him focus on longer formats
The IPL has evolved into a heavily lopsided “batting paradise”, frequently featuring totals exceeding 200 runs. This shift has been driven by the Impact Player rule, flatter pitches, shorter boundaries, and aggressive player mindsets. Thus, it has transformed the tournament into a high-scoring, batter-friendly spectacle.
This evolution has forced bowlers to bowl a lot of slower balls. As quoted by legendary pacer Wasim Akram, bowling with variation makes one a T20 specialist, but in the longer formats, you need skills and good pace to make the ball talk.
Akram, in an interview, stated, “In T20, all you need to do is keep varying the pace. These are the guys who know their limitations and bowl within them. They’re not sharp and quick, and they don’t try to bowl quick. They concentrate on their strength, which is variation, and that’s the key to their IPL success.”
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Thus, Gurnoor’s absence of IPL experience is a blessing in disguise as the Punjab fast bowler has impressed with his pace and control in his debut ODI series against Afghanistan. The pacer replicates a bowling style better suited to the longer formats than to T20s.
Apart from that, a lack of IPL exposure kept Brar a less-discovered pacer in global cricket, preserving his talent from overexposure.
One could also assume that Shubman Gill never required his services in the IPL 2025 and 2026, as they already boast a highly reliable pace bowling contingent, featuring the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Jason Holder.
Why Gurnoor Brar fits in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup plans
That being said, there were murmurs of selection bias when Gill unveiled the debutant, his Punjab and Gujarat Titans teammate, Gurnoor Brar, at the toss in IND vs AFG 1st ODI.
It was not a straightforward choice on overwhelming merit. Brar had not necessarily knocked the proverbial selection door down in the public eye.
His domestic bowling statistics aren’t outstanding, suggesting he has blown hot and cold. 52 First-Class wickets at 27.30 and 22 wickets across 17 white-ball matches since 2021 certainly don't justify his immense potential.
Nonetheless, Brar's effectiveness at the death has been among the highlights of his performances, with the youngster placing significant emphasis on mastering yorkers.
In place of transforming into a T20 specialist, Brar generates raw pace, natural bounce, and an aggressive “hit the deck” approach.
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall, he leverages his height to extract steep bounce off the pitch, frequently clocking speeds in the range of 145- 148 km/h.
India’s ODI build-up has quietly begun. A World Cup is only 16 months away, set to take place predominantly in South Africa in October-November 2027. Thus, Gill had backed him for a swift one-day initiation for good reason.
In conclusion, the very factor that appeared to be absent in Gurnoor’s journey, his lack of IPL opportunities, may have accelerated his growth as a fast bowler.
By focusing on pace, bounce, and longer-format fundamentals instead of becoming another T20 specialist, Brar has emerged as a compelling prospect for India’s long-term ODI plans.
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