Harbhajan Singh - web image - sportstiger

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Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is likely to be the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders and could join the franchise in that capacity from the 2022 season. Reports claiming the same have emerged days after Harbhajan formally announced retirement from all forms of the game.

The  41-year-old while making his decision known had said that in many ways he had already retired but just could not make a formal announcement of the same.

"There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket," he said in a video uploaded on his Youtube Channel.

"In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn't been able to make a formal announcement," he added.

"I haven't been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire," he said.

The veteran of over 100 Test matches last donned India colours in March 2016 in a T20I match against UAE in Dhaka - a match that was part of the Asia Cup.

Harbhajan could feature in Legends League Cricket

Overall in a glorious career that saw him being part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning India side and then playing a role in the 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, Bhajji played 103 Test matches, 236 ODIs and 28 T20Is.

Harbhajan's retirement could have also come since his name is being linked with the Legends League Cricket- a T20 cricket tournament featuring retired international cricketers set to be played in UAE. With his name doing the rounds, only if he had made a formal announcement of retirement could he have participated in that tournament which is also set to feature players like Shahid Afridi, Sanath Jayasuriya among others.

Other than KKR, Harbhajan has also played for two of the most successful franchises in the IPL - Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians.