Harbhajan Singh Plaha ( pronunciation (help·info); born 3 July 1980 in Jalandhar, Punjab, India), commonly known as Harbhajan Singh or simply Harbhajan, is an Indian international cricketer, who plays all forms of the game cricket. A specialist spin bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh at a promotional event in January 2013.
Personal information
Full name	Harbhajan Singh Plaha
Born	(1980-07-03) 3 July 1980 (age 38) Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Nickname	Bhaji, The Turbanator, ThiruBajan Singh
Batting	Right-hand
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Bowling All-rounder
International information
National side	India (1998-present)
Test debut (cap 215)	25 March 1998 v Australia
Last Test	10 June 2015 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 113)	17 April 1998 v New Zealand
Last ODI	25 October 2015 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	3
T20I debut (cap 3)	1 December 2006 v South Africa
Last T20I	4 March 2016 v UAE
T20I shirt no.	3
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1997–present	Punjab
2005–2007	Surrey
2008–2017	Mumbai Indians (squad no. 3)
2018–present	Chennai Super Kings (squad no. 27)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 103 236 192 317 Runs scored 2,224 1,237 4,183 2,009 Batting average 18.23 13.30 19.73 15.45 100s/50s 2/9 0/0 2/15 0/2 Top score 115 49 115 79* Balls bowled 28,580 12,479 47,190 16,537 Wickets 417 269 760 373 Bowling average 32.46 33.35 29.18 31.84 5 wickets in innings 25 3 40 4 10 wickets in match 5 n/a 7 n/a Best bowling 8/84 5/31 8/84 5/31 Catches/stumpings 42/– 71/– 96/– 102/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 12 August 2017

He is the former captain of IPL team Mumbai Indians and Punjab for the 2012–13 Ranji Trophy season.

Singh made his Test and One Day International (ODI) debuts in early 1998. His career was initially affected by investigations into the legality of his bowling action, as well as several disciplinary incidents. However, in 2001, with leading leg spinner Anil Kumble injured, Harbhajan's career was resuscitated after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for his inclusion in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. In that series victory over Australia, Harbhajan established himself as the team's leading spinner by taking 32 wickets, becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Test cricket. He is also an Officer in the Punjab Police and has held the rank of a Superintendent of police (India), reporting to Punjab Police HQ at Barnala.

A finger injury in mid-2003 sidelined him for much of the following year, allowing Kumble to regain his position as the first choice spinner in Tests and ODI's. Harbhajan reclaimed a regular position in the team upon his return in late 2004, but often found himself watching from the sidelines in Test matches outside the Indian subcontinent with typically only one spinner, Kumble, being used. Throughout 2006 and into early 2007, Harbhajan's accumulation of wickets fell and his bowling average increased, and he was increasingly criticised for bowling defensively with less loop. Following India's first-round elimination from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, Harbhajan was replaced by other spinners in the national squad for both formats. He regained a regular position in the team in late 2007, but became the subject of more controversy. In early 2008, he was given a ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for racially vilifying Andrew Symonds. The ban was revoked upon appeal, but in April, Harbhajan was banned from the 2008 Indian Premier League and suspended from the ODI team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for slapping Sreesanth after a match. He appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Indian promotion, Ring Ka King. He was in the World Cup-winning team of 2011 Cricket World Cup.

He was conferred the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009.