Harbhajan Singh Bio: Wife, Stats, Net Worth, Age, Children, Height, Movies, Retirement

Harbhajan Singh is a former Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the finest off-spin bowlers in the history of the game. He is also a politician.

Born on July 3, 1980, in Jalandhar, Punjab, India, he made his international debut for the Indian national team in 1998 and went on to represent the country across all three formats of the game for over two decades.

Harbhajan Singh rose to global prominence during the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, when he became the first Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick, a performance that cemented his place as a match-winner at the highest level. His aggressive bowling style, sharp turn, and ability to perform under pressure made him a vital cog in India’s bowling attack during some of the team’s most defining moments.

Over the course of his Test career, Harbhajan Singh claimed 417 wickets in 103 matches, establishing himself as the third-highest wicket-taker among Indian bowlers in the format. He also contributed significantly to One Day Internationals, picking up 269 wickets across 236 appearances. Beyond his bowling, he was a capable lower-order batsman who chipped in with crucial runs on several occasions.

Harbhajan Singh was part of the Indian squad that won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, two of the most celebrated triumphs in Indian cricket history. In the Indian Premier League, he represented franchises including the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, winning multiple titles.

He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2021, signing off as a legend of the sport. Off the field, Harbhajan Singh has been vocal on social and political issues and has maintained a visible presence in Indian public life.

Early Life & Education

Harbhajan Singh was born on July 3, 1980, in Jalandhar, Punjab, India. His birth date places him under the Cancer zodiac sign. He is of Punjabi ethnicity and practices Sikhism, the predominant religion of the Punjab region.

He was born into a Sikh family with roots firmly planted in Punjab. His father, Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha, was a businessman who ran a ball-bearing manufacturing unit, and his mother, Avtar Kaur, was a homemaker devoted to raising the family.

Harbhajan Singh grew up in a household where cricket was encouraged, and it was his father who first recognised his potential and pushed him toward the sport from an early age. Sadly, Sardar Sardev Singh Plaha passed away in 2000, before he could witness the full extent of his son’s international success.

Harbhajan Singh grew up alongside six sisters, one of whom is named Sandeep Kaur. The names of his remaining siblings have not been widely disclosed in public records.

For his early education, Harbhajan Singh attended D.A.V. Public School in Jalandhar, where he balanced academics with a growing passion for cricket. His cricketing talent became evident during his school years, and he was steered toward more serious training at a young age. He came under the coaching of Charanjit Singh Bhullar, who played a significant role in shaping his skills as a spinner.

By his early teens, Harbhajan Singh was already making waves in local and regional cricket circles in Punjab, setting the stage for what would become one of India’s most celebrated international careers.

Career

Harbhajan Singh launched his first-class career with Punjab in the mid-1990s, quickly establishing himself as a potent off-spinner capable of turning the ball sharply and troubling even the most accomplished batsmen.

His performances in domestic cricket earned him a call-up to the Indian national team, and he made his Test debut against Australia in March 1998 at the age of 17, becoming one of the youngest spinners to represent India at that level.

His early international career was marked by inconsistency and a battle for a permanent place in the squad, but everything changed in March 2001 during the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

With India following on at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Harbhajan Singh delivered one of the most extraordinary bowling performances in Test history, claiming 13 wickets in the match and helping India pull off a stunning victory.

Earlier in that same series at Mumbai, he had become the first Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick, dismissing Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, and Shane Warne in consecutive deliveries. The series announced him to the world as a generational talent, and Indian cricket would never quite be the same again.

Through the mid-2000s, Harbhajan Singh became India’s lead spinner, shouldering the bulk of the spin bowling responsibilities alongside Anil Kumble. The two formed one of the most effective spin partnerships in world cricket, combining classical leg-spin with Harbhajan’s aggressive off-breaks to dismantle opposition lineups on subcontinental pitches. His ability to flight the ball, extract sharp turns, and vary his pace made him particularly dangerous in home conditions, though he proved capable of troubling batsmen on overseas pitches as well.

In One Day Internationals, Harbhajan Singh developed into a reliable middle-overs bowler, capable of containing runs while also picking up crucial wickets. His performances across formats contributed to some of India’s defining moments in limited-overs cricket, including the team’s historic triumph at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, the inaugural edition of the tournament, where India defeated Pakistan in a memorable final.

The pinnacle of his career in white-ball cricket came at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, held on home soil across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Harbhajan Singh was part of the squad that lifted the trophy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011, ending India’s 28-year wait for a World Cup title. The victory, led by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, remains one of the most emotional nights in Indian sporting history, and Harbhajan Singh played his part as a senior member of that celebrated unit.

In the Indian Premier League, Harbhajan Singh carved out a successful franchise career spanning well over a decade. He was a cornerstone of the Mumbai Indians setup during the franchise’s formative years, contributing both with the ball and as a vocal presence in the dressing room. He later moved to the Chennai Super Kings, adding further IPL titles to his collection and demonstrating his adaptability across different team environments. He also had a brief stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings toward the later stages of his T20 career.

Despite various controversies over the years, including the infamous Monkeygate scandal during Australia’s tour of India in 2008, which resulted in a temporary ban, Harbhajan Singh remained a central figure in Indian cricket for much of the 2000s and early 2010s. His competitive fire and refusal to back down, on or off the pitch, became as much a part of his identity as his bowling.

By the time his international career wound down, Harbhajan Singh had taken 417 wickets in 103 Tests, 269 wickets in 236 ODIs, and 25 wickets in 28 T20 Internationals, finishing as one of India’s most prolific wicket-takers across all formats. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2021, closing the chapter on a career that spanned more than two decades and left an indelible mark on the game.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Harbhajan Singh
• Instagram: Harbhajan Turbanator Singh (@harbhajan3)
• IMDb: Harbhajan Singh
• Facebook: Harbhajan Singh
• YouTube: Harbhajan Turbanator Singh

Personal Life

Harbhajan Singh was born on July 3, 1980, making him 45 years old.

Harbhajan Singh stands at 183 cm (6 feet) tall.

On October 29, 2015, Harbhajan Singh married Geeta Basra, a Bollywood actress known for her appearances in films such as The Train and Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji.

The couple had been in a relationship for several years before making their union official in a traditional Sikh ceremony held in Jalandhar, Punjab. Their wedding was one of the more talked-about celebrity unions of that year, drawing considerable attention from both the cricket and film fraternities.

Together, Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra have two children. Their daughter, Hinaya Heer Plaha, was born on July 27, 2016, and their son, Jovan Veer Singh Plaha, was born in July 2021. The family is based primarily in Mumbai.

Prior to his marriage, Harbhajan Singh was romantically linked to Geeta Basra for a number of years, and the two were frequently spotted together at public events. No other relationship has been officially confirmed by Harbhajan Singh before his marriage to Geeta Basra, though his name was occasionally linked to other figures in the Indian entertainment and sports circles during his bachelor years. These associations were never publicly confirmed by either party.

Net Worth

Harbhajan Singh has accumulated considerable wealth over the course of his long career in professional cricket.

His net worth is estimated at $20 million, built from multiple income streams, including international cricket contracts, Indian Premier League salaries, brand endorsements, and business ventures.

During his peak years in the Indian Premier League, Harbhajan Singh commanded significant auction fees from franchises such as the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings, with his IPL earnings constituting a substantial portion of his overall wealth. His long international career with the Board of Control for Cricket in India also ensured steady central-contract income over more than two decades of service to the national team.

Beyond cricket, Harbhajan Singh has been an active brand ambassador for several Indian and international companies, lending his name and image to products across categories including sportswear, beverages, and consumer goods. His public profile, combined with his wife Geeta Basra’s presence in Bollywood, has kept the couple commercially visible well beyond his playing days.

Harbhajan Singh has also ventured into business and media, further diversifying his income base in retirement. His financial standing places him comfortably among the wealthier cricketers of his generation in India.

What People Ask