Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has raised concerns over the current generation of spinners in the Indian Premier League (IPL), claiming that they lack aggression and are overly focused on containment rather than taking wickets.
With batting-friendly pitches becoming the norm in T20 cricket, spin bowlers have often been forced into a restrictive role. Even a world-class spinner like Rashid Khan, considered one of the best in the white-ball format, has struggled to consistently pick up wickets last season.
Harbhajan believes that this trend is detrimental to the art of spin bowling and emphasized the need for bowlers to adopt a more attacking mindset.
“I am sorry to say in T20s or IPL, a lot of spinners are bowling like fast bowlers. They are not spinning the ball. They are not attacking and don’t have the intent of taking wickets. Spinners need to be a little more brave, take chances. They need to spin the ball, look to flight it, take chances and be in the match,” Harbhajan said, as quoted by India Today.
The BCCI lifted the long-standing ban on saliva use to shine the ball ahead of the new season. The restriction had been in place since the Covid-19 pandemic, but with conditions returning to normal, bowlers will now have the option to use saliva to maintain the ball.
Harbhajan welcomed the decision, believing it will be beneficial for both pacers and spinners.
“It is good that bowlers can use saliva again, it’s a good thing for bowlers. Soon we will see it in international cricket because it is easy to shine the ball with saliva. It brings swing for pacers and drift for spinners,” he added.
Harbhajan on Riyan Parag and other youngsters
Among the emerging players in IPL 2025, Harbhajan has high expectations from Riyan Parag, who is set to captain Rajasthan Royals for the first three matches in the absence of regular skipper Sanju Samson, who is recovering from a finger injury.
“Every year the IPL brings to the spotlight a lot of youngsters, but my eyes will be on Riyan Parag. Assam played well under his captaincy. He is a tremendous talent, I want to see him as a grown man,” Harbhajan noted.
Apart from Parag, Harbhajan is keen to track the performances of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Abhishek Sharma, whom he believes are the future of Indian cricket. He also named Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy as bowlers to watch out for in IPL 2025.