'No Indian have such dreams, wake up now' - Harbhajan Singh darts back with blunt reply for fan's special India-Pakistan players wish

Cricket and rivalries across the border are often deemed as the "mother of all clashes" between neighbours India and Pakistan. Hence, in the aftermath of things, fans often compare stars from both the countries in context of performances. Moreover, some cricket aficionados also have a special wish to see players of both India and Pakistan play together in the same team.

But due to political turmoils, the wish has been far from turning into a reality so far. However, some fans still believe if not directly then at least Pakistan players can hopefully feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which can indirectly fulfill the wishes of seeing the stars of both nations playing together as part of one squad. In the same vein, a cricket fan recently took to social media to share their "dream" of seeing Indian stars like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah play alongside Pakistani greats Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the cash-rich IPL. However, veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was quick to give a quirky reply to squash those hopes.

"Dream for many Indian and Pakistani cricket fans," the fan posted pictures of the four cricketers with the caption.

"No Indian hv such dreams .. you guys plz stop dreaming 😴😂😂 wake up now," Harbhajan replied sharply to the fan.

While Harbhajan Singh may have dismissed it as an unrealistic dream, the prospect of the world's biggest franchise T20 tournament featuring the top talent from both India and Pakistan is certainly an enticing one for cricket fans globally.

Also Read: Virat Kohli won't be satisfied until he gets his hand on the trophy.: Harbhajan Singh

IPL 2024 is slated to commence on March 22 

The 2008 IPL did see Pakistani stars like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, and Sohail Tanvir make an impact, with the latter winning the Purple Cap as the season's highest wicket-taker for the inaugural champions, Rajasthan Royals. Tanvir won the Purple Cap after he picked up 22 wickets from 11 innings at an average of 12.09. Players like Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, and Shoaib Malik also played in the inaugural season of IPL.

However, with political relations between India and Pakistan remaining tense, Pakistani players were never allowed to participate in IPL. Though Azar Mahmood did play for a couple of more seasons as the player had become a British citizen.

Also read: Shreyas Iyer to join KKR camp within two days, available for first match
 
Babar Azam is currently leading the Peshawari Zalmi side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, while IPL is just a couple of days away with defending champions, Chennai Super Kings taking on  Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on March 22.