IPL 2021: My life is empty without cricket, says Harbhajan Singh

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Harbhajan Singh has discussed the importance of cricket in his life, terming it as something without which his life is empty. Harbhajan expressed his desire to enjoy playing cricket as long as possible, stating that he had nothing to prove to anyone. The 40-year-old was signed by the Kolkata-based franchise at base price, during the recent player auction ahead of the ongoing 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Without cricket my life is empty. I just want to enjoy the game till the time I am playing. There is nothing that I wish to prove to anyone. It’s a small expectation from my side which makes me go out and prove that I am good enough to play among all the guys,” he said in a virtual interaction.

“I just want to do what I need to do to stay fit to play the game. I don’t want any regrets in the future,” added Harbhajan.

The 40-year-old is known for his ability to smash some quick runs down the order, having played some valuable knocks for the Indian team as well in the past.

Harbhajan denied any possibility of him matching Andre Russell’s ability to smash sixes. However, he backed himself to get the job done in case of the Windies all-rounder’s dismissal.

“I don’t think there can be any competition between me and Russell when it comes to smashing sixes. He will hit many more sixes than I will. Russell’s strength is different from mine. The days he hits sixes, I will not be needed to hit them. However, the day he gets out, I will get an opportunity,” he stated.

Harbhajan featured in his debut match for KKR on Sunday, when selected in the lineup for the franchise’s league opener against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He played his first game of cricket in 699 days, bowling only one over.

Harbhajan further hailed Kuldeep Yadav as a “big match-winner”, backing him to come back strong. Kuldeep was benched for KKR’s match against SRH.