Harry Gurney ready for IPL challenge after winter of dizzying success

Exclusive interview: From the T10 League in Sharjah to Big Bash and the Pakistan Super League, Gurney has been through it all. Now, the 32-year-old is trying his hand at the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders snapped up Gurney for £85,000 in December – the best Christmas present that any cricketer could hope for (Getty)

Harry Gurney left home on 29 December. Now, almost three months on he has just arrived in India for a stint in a T20 competition that continues to set the benchmark for the rest.

With three winners’ medals since the end of the last season, the 32-year-old has come a long way. In every sense.

The Kolkata Knight Riders snapped up Gurney for £85,000 in December – the best Christmas present that any cricketer could hope for.

Since then he has helped the Northern Warriors win the T10 League in Sharjah, played for Big Bash champions Melbourne Renegades Down Under and also travelled to Karachi as part of the all-conquering Pakistan Super League side, Quetta Gladiators.

“I only had four winners’ medals in my career before this winter,” he tells The Independent. “Now I’ve got seven.”

His bank balance has also received a substantial boost, with the gravy train of T20 franchise cricket providing the kind of financial stability that a lengthy career in the county game never could.

Now, though, is the big one – the chance to play under Jacques Kallis and alongside some of the biggest names in T20 cricket, including the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, West Indies trio Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Carlos Braithwaite and big hitting Aussie Chris Lynn.

Fresh from a week in Pakistan and following a 24-hour trip from Karachi to Kolkata via Dubai, Gurney is now well-versed in the lot of the modern T20 cricketer and knows just how big a T20 maelstrom he’s about to walk into.

“It has taken me a day and a 12-hour wait at Dubai airport to get just across the border really, but there you go,” he says. “But you can tell that the country is in an IPL frenzy. Every TV station is showing IPL previews, old matches and programmes looking behind the scenes at the various franchises.

“I only got to the hotel about four hours ago but just driving to the airport you got a sense of how big a tournament this is.”

Gurney’s first match for the Knight Riders will be against a Sunrisers side that’s likely to include the likes of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow at a full-to-the-rafters Eden Gardens on Sunday. That will be some baptism of fire but having shown a capacity to deal with the big moments in the Big Bash – Gurney took 1 for 20 in four nerveless overs in the final against Melbourne Stars – he’s unlikely to be fazed by whatever the IPL throws at him.

Harry Gurney in action for the Renegades during a Big Bash League match against Sydney Thunder (Getty)

And the Knight Riders will hope that his luck continues to hold this winter.

“Hopefully if KKR go the distance then I’ll be out here until the middle of May,” he says. “It’s quite a long time to be away, particularly with a young family, but the winter has been amazing so far.

“I was ecstatic to get all these gigs, to sign for the Renegades, the T10 and the PSL and to have won every one that I’ve been involved with has been amazing.

“I would hope that my stock is pretty high. Just getting a Big Bash contract was a thrill because it’s an incredible competition and one that the Aussies do so well – the crowds are good and it’s something I’ve always watched on TV.

“To not only win the trophy but to play a key role in winning that trophy was a dream come true, to be honest. Hopefully there are a few people out there who now know what I can do but it’s all about going out there and grabbing your opportunities when they come along.

With three winners’ medals since the end of the last season, the 32-year-old has come a long way (Getty Images)

“The IPL is probably the biggest challenge you could wish for in Twenty20 cricket. You’ve got the best players in the world, short boundaries and flat pitches. It’s going to be a challenge, there’s no doubt about that, but playing at Trent Bridge is good preparation because that’s obviously a high scoring ground as well. Let’s see how we get on.”

Gurney is just one of a number of English players who will miss the start of the county season with the likes of Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, soon-to-be-qualified Jofra Archer and Ashes hopeful Joe Denly all involved in the tournament.

But the Nottinghamshire left-armer argues that their participation in the competition can only help England’s ambitions at the start of a huge year for the national team across all formats.

“You couldn’t wish for better preparation for a World Cup year,” he says. “The guys are going to be surrounded by world class coaching teams in world class facilities and playing with and against world class players under extreme pressure. How can that not be a good thing?”