3 teams that can sign Harbhajan Singh in IPL 2021 auction
After a three-year stint, Harbhajan Singh has bid adieu to the Chennai Super Kings and will return to the auction table for IPL 2021.
The 40-year-old Harbhajan Singh is an IPL veteran and has played 160 games in the marquee tournament. He has 150 wickets to his name.
His strike rate of 22 with the ball and an outstanding economy rate of just over 7 makes him an exciting prospect for any team.
Singh didn't play a single game in the IPL 2020, having pulled out from traveling to the UAE due to undisclosed reasons.
The previous IPL was his most fruitful for CSK, as the tweaker bagged 16 wickets at an average of 19.5.
3 Teams that can sign Harbhajan Singh for IPL 2021
In the current milieu of world cricket, off-spinners now rank below their leg-spin counterparts, especially in the shortest format.
However, as Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel showed for the Delhi Capitals in 2020, an orthodox bowler with control on line and length can be lethal.
Harbhajan Singh will bring just that to the table.
#1 Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals have three leg-spinners in the squad and face an exigency of some variety.
Jofra Archer found negligible support from other bowlers in IPL 2020 and the lead spinner, Shreyas Gopal, was expensive throughout.
The Royals also have a settled on a foreign core of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Archer, so roping in an overseas tweaker is out of the question.
Harbhajan Singh can provide a crucial powerplay option while also holding runs in the middle overs.
#2 Kings XI Punjab
Indian fans might be in for some nostalgia here. The famous spin pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh may unite once again if Kings XI Punjab sign the latter.
KXIP has released off-spinners Krishnappa Gowtham and Mujeeb ur Rahman who weren't up to expectations in the IPL 2020.
Moreover, KL Rahul's use of Gowtham seemed an attempt at recreating MS Dhoni's use of Ashwin for CSK.
Harbhajan Singh can provide the KXIP lineup with ample experience and can form a remarkable pair with Ravi Bishnoi or Murugan Ashwin.
#3 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Though they eventually qualified for the playoffs, the Sunrisers Hyderabad had a mixed IPL 2020.
Their main problems arose from having too many overseas options, which also didn't allow them to play off-spin all-rounder Mohammed Nabi.
Shahbaz Nadeem performed fairly well in the limited opportunities he got.
But his left-arm angle might prove counter-productive against teams like Delhi Capitals.
Harbhajan Singh can chip in here as an able Indian replacement to Nabi and can form a remarkable combination with Rashid Khan on spin-friendly wickets.
Also see: CSK retained player list