Harbhajan Singh Set To Retire From IPL?

There is absolutely no denying that senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh’s days in cricket as a player are limited. The veteran spinner is not a member of the Indian team right now and does not play for Punjab either. He only plies his trade for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). After a decade of association with Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan went to the Super Kings in 2018 and has done very well thus far.

In the last two years, Harbhajan has been used by MS Dhoni mostly in the Powerplay where he has taken 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.4 and average of 25. Talking about his overall record, the four-time IPL winner has picked 23 wickets in the last two seasons of the IPL in 23 innings at an economy rate of 7.67 and an average of 25.30.

As far as his international career is concerned, it is all but over. He has not played for India since the 2016 Asia Cup and is highly unlikely to get another recall. And Harbhajan Singh seems to have made up his mind over giving up on IPL too. The India stalwart has registered his name for the draft of the inaugural season of The Hundred. The tournament will get underway in July 2020.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Registers For Players Draft For The Hundred

Harbhajan Singh is unlikely to get the green-light from the BCCI to play in the competition. Ever since the IPL started, the BCCI has not allowed the active Indian players to play in overseas T20 leagues. Recently, Yuvraj Singh and Manpreet Singh Gony had to announce their retirement from all forms of cricket before obtaining the no objection certificate to play in Global T20 Canada.

Earlier this year, veteran allrounder Irfan Pathan had also registered his name in the Caribbean Premier League draft but could not get the permission since he is an active player in domestic cricket and has not announced retirement from international cricket either. Thus Harbhajan Singh is more than unlikely to get the go ahead for The Hundred. In such a case, the only option left for him is to announce his retirement from all forms of the game.

Reports suggest that he would not hesitate in bringing down curtains on his career is he is picked in the draft. Thus, it is very likely that the star bowler has played his last IPL season. If he finds a team in The Hundred, he will not play IPL anymore.