Which player holds the record for the longest gap in between IPL appearances ?

Punjab Kings' Harpreet Singh Bhatia today played in the IPL after a long gap of 3981 days.

Punjab Kings' veteran cricketer Harpreet Singh Bhatia has bagged one of the most unique records in Indian Premier League (IPL) history after he was drafted into the playing eleven for the fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday. It became his first appearance since 2012 in the marquee T20 league, the longest gap for a player between two IPL games.

Bhatia, who part of India's 2010 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad in New Zealand, featured for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that year. He went on to ply his trade for the Pune Warriors in 2011 and was in the Royal Challengers Bangalore's squad in 2017 as an injury replacement for Sarfaraz Khan, but did not get a game.

Making his debut for the Punjab Kings against the Super Giants in the ongoing game, the 31-year-old left-handed batter has now a special record under his belt. His first appearance in the 2023 edition has come after a hiatus of 3981 days, breaking Australian keeper-batter Matthew Wade's record of 3962 days.

The South African duo of Wayne Parnell and Rilee Rossouw come next in the list. Parnell played his first IPL match this year for RCB after a span of 3242 days, while Rossouw is at a staggering 2899 days.

Players with longest gap between IPL appearances:

Harpreet Singh Bhatia (Last Appearance - 2012) (Latest Appearance - 2023) - 3981 Days

Matthew Wade (Last Appearance - 2011) (Latest Appearance - 2022) - 3962 Days

Wayne Parnell (Last Appearance - 2014) (Latest Appearance - 2023) - 3242 Days

Rilee Rossouw (Last Appearance - 2015) (Latest Appearance - 2023) - 2899 Days

Colin Ingram (Last Appearance - 2011) (Latest Appearance - 2019) - 2019 Days

Punjab Kings' disciplined bowling performance restricts the Super Giants to 159 in 20 overs

Meanwhile, the Kings put on a tidy bowling performance after stand-in captain Sam Curran elected to field first. Super Giants skipper KL Rahul was the only one to pass 30 as he top-scored with 74 off 56 deliveries. Curran was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-31-3, while Kagiso Rabada took a couple of scalps.

The Super Giants are coming off a confidence-boosting win over RCB as they chased down 213 with one wicket to spare. Meanwhile, the Kings lost two matches in a row after winning two consecutively.