“Beautiful memories, made some great friends” - Harbhajan Singh confirms his contract with Chennai Super Kings is over

Former India and Chennai Super Kings off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has confirmed that his contract with the MS Dhoni-led IPL franchise has ended.

Harbhajan Singh, along with Suresh Raina, had pulled out of IPL 2020 that was held in the UAE, citing personal reasons. It was widely speculated that CSK, one of IPL’s most successful franchises, would not retain the bowler.

Harbhajan Singh confirmed the same through a Twitter post on Wednesday. Looking back at his time with CSK, Harbhajan Singh said that playing for the franchise was a great experience during which he made some beautiful memories and great friends.

The 40-year-old, in the same post, thanked the CSK management, staff and fans for ‘two wonderful years’ and wished the franchise all the best for the future.

As my contract comes to an end with @ChennaiIPL, playing for this team was a great experience..beautiful memories made &some great friends which I will remember fondly for years to come..Thank you @ChennaiIPL, management, staff and fans for a wonderful 2years.. All the best..🙏

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 20, 2021

The development comes ahead of the IPL retention list announcement that will be made on Wednesday evening by all the franchises.

Harbhajan Singh’s short-lived journey with CSK

After tasting amazing success with Mumbai Indians for a decade in the IPL, Harbhajan Singh was picked up by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2018 auction at his base price of Rs 2 crore.

Harbhajan Singh played 13 matches for CSK in the 2018 edition of the competition but had a poor season, managing only seven wickets at a strike rate of 27.28. He was, however, retained for the 2019 IPL, where he fared much better. The veteran off-spinner finished with 16 wickets in 11 games at a strike rate of 16.50 and a best bowling performance of 3 for 20.

However, after Harbhajan Singh decided to pull out of IPL 2020, his days with CSK seemed numbered, and the franchise, unsurprisingly, decided to release him.

Harbhajan Singh remains one of the most successful bowlers in the IPL. In 160 matches, he has 150 wickets to his name, doing so at an average of 26.44 and an impressive strike rate of 22.49.

Salute hai bhai tujhe 👏well done puji https://t.co/ZvGkbDcsxQ

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 19, 2021

The off-spinner has an impressive economy rate of 7.05 in the T20 tournament, where he has a best of 5 for 18. With the bat, he has contributed 829 runs at a strike rate of 138.16, including a fifty.