From Muktsar to leading Indian basketball team — Palpreet Singh Brar's journey of grit

Time of India

a day ago

Chandigarh: When a tall teenager from a farmer's family in Muktsar was told he was too tall for kabaddi, he had no idea that advice would one day make him the captain of the Indian basketball team.
Today, at 32, Palpreet Singh Brar is leading the national team, a dream that took roots in the courts of Ludhiana and was tested on the toughest roads of Indian sport.
Back in 2009, basketball wasn't even on Palpreet's mind. A towering 6'9", his height made him a perfect candidate for basketball. A family friend nudged him towards the sport, and soon the teenager left his town for Ludhiana.
There, at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy, under the mentorship of Teja Singh Dhaliwal and coach S Subramaniam, Palpreet discovered the game that would become his calling.
"I had no role models. I didn't even know the rules," he recalls, adding "But it just came to me naturally."
From donning the junior team jersey in 2011 to earning a spot in the senior national team a year later, Palpreet's rise was steady. Yet, it was not without setbacks. In 2016, when he had been drafted into the NBA D-League, a moment of pride, a knee injury almost derailed his journey. "There was no support from the govt, not even to fund my surgery," he says, with a tinge of disappointment.
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Two years of recovery followed. But his passion for the sport never waned. He fought his way back into the national team.
Today, as captain, Palpreet carries not just the expectations of his teammates but also the weight of an entire sporting ecosystem that's long struggled for relevance and recognition. "Captaincy is more than leading on the court," he says. "It's about lifting others when they're down, pushing them forward when they doubt themselves."
Despite the challenges, he finds comfort in his discipline. Employed by the Indian Railways, Palpreet gets 330 days a year to train. Off the court, he continues to stay connected to his roots, helping out on his family farm.
Palpreet is vocal about the structural gaps in Indian basketball. "We're 50 years behind," he says bluntly. "There are no professional leagues, no exposure trips, no regular practice games. Look at Serbia, with a population smaller than ours, they are ranked No.
2 in the world by FIBA."
He believes the problem isn't infrastructure but the lack of quality coaching. "We need to invest in good coaches. Our kids have potential, but potential needs to be guided."
Language barriers, too, pose a challenge in his role. "We have players from across the country, and often we don't speak the same language. But I've learned to communicate in other ways."
For Palpreet Singh Brar, the Indian jersey is not just a uniform, it's a dream he wants to live each day.
And now, as captain, he's determined to script a new chapter in Indian basketball's story.
"There are no shortcuts," he says with conviction. "Hard work is the only way. To the younger generation, I say, focus on the basics. The results will show."
As he prepares to lead India into the next Asia Cup, he says with a smile, "I've come a long way from not knowing what basketball was. And now, I want to help build a future where every talented kid, from any village or city, has a real shot, not just at playing, but at dreaming."
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