Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who featured in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) may be hanging his boots for one and final time from cricket. The 41-year old was picked up by the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise for his base price of INR 2 crore in the auction and played just three games for the Eoin Morgan-led side.

Harbhajan, who didn’t feature in the UAE leg of the IPL could be seen as part of the support staff from the 2022 edition onwards.

According to a report in the news agency PTI, Harbhajan is expected to announce his retirement from all cricket very soon. Having got offers from a couple of franchises, the offie will take a decision then to zero in on one of them as he is expected to play a major role with the side starting with the player auction.

An IPL source told PTI, “The role could be that of a consultant, mentor or part of the advisory group but the franchise with which he is talking are keen to use his vast experience. He will take active part in also helping the franchise decide on their auction picks.”

Harbhajan, who worked with the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav during his time with the men in purple this year, has expressed his desire time and again in his interviews during matches, to groom the youngsters and share his experience with them and ultimately work for the betterment of Indian cricket.

Harbhajan has played 163 matches in the IPL across 13 seasons (he didn’t take part in 2020) for Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and KKR and has taken 150 wickets at an average of 26 and his best figures being 5/18.

“Look, Harbhajan wanted to make a formal announcement of his retirement after the season is over. He has had extended talks with one of the franchises which has shown keen interest but he would like to talk about it only when the deal is formally inked,” the source further said.