Wrong Tweet `Kills’ Harpreet Singh’s IPL Dream

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Harmeet Singh

Social media got Harmeet Singh’s wrong name, wrong picture, wrong story of Harpreet which cost him an IPL berth; he remained unsold at the auction

It was a terrible case of mistaken identity which cost a promising cricketer dearly. Incorrect social media news updates that mixed up the names of one-time Mumbai left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and inform Madhya Pradesh batsman Harpreet Singh have resulted in the latter losing a chance to be picked by an IPL franchise.

During the IPL auction on Monday, several news feeds named Harpreet as the cricketer who was arrested earlier in the day for driving his car straight to the platform of Andheri railway station in Mumbai. It was, in fact, Harmeet who had allegedly broken the law.

On the day of the auction, ANI, on its official handle, tweeted: “Under 19 cricketer Harpreet Singh detained for driving a car straight into Andheri railway station platform last night.” The tweet was sandwiched between its updates on the IPL auction.

The incorrect news updates were later corrected, but the damage was done. Harpreet remained unsold at the auction.

According to a franchise representative, the reason was the incorrect tweet about his arrest that he saw during the auction.

Both players — Harmeet (24) and Harpreet (25) — represented India at the Junior World Cup, but their paths have diverged since then. While Harmeet no longer finds a place in any of the Mumbai teams, Harpreet has been a mainstay for Madhya Pradesh and one of domestic cricket’s most consistent performers.

“All is not lost for him. If someone gets injured, we’ll pick Harpreet as first choice,” said a franchise representative.