Harbhajan Singh of India bowls during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup warm up match between India and South Africa at Wankhede Stadium on March 12, 2016 in Mumbai
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has denied reports pertaining to veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being drafted into The Hundred in England. The reports emerged on Thursday evening when the player's drafts were released for The Hundred saying that Harbhajan has shown a keen interest in participating in the tournament and that he might retire from Indian cricket if he gets drafted in. BCCI has further clarified that Harbhajan has categorically denied such a development.
"Harbhajan has never sought a No Objection Certificate from the BCCI. He can't just enrol his name in any league. It's against the BCCI's policy. The board has checked with him after the report surfaced and he has categorically denied any such development," a top BCCI official told Times of India on Thursday.
The 39-year-old off-spinner has not yet retired from international cricket and he is still part of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Chennai Super Kings. According to BCCI rules, any active player cannot sign for foreign leagues at his own discretion. Recently, Yuvraj Singh had retired from Indian cricket to participate in Global T20 League.
"Harbhajan is a seasoned campaigner. He won't take such a drastic step without checking with the board. If he has plans, he will let the board know," the official said.
The Hundred is a tournament comprising eight city-based franchises where each match will be played of just 100 deliveries. The maiden edition will be played on July 2020 and each of the franchises will have a men's and women's team each.
