Great players have a great sense of celebrating their special occasions. Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians icon, scored a century each on his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup debut. Ricky Ponting, the Mumbai Indians head coach, celebrated his 100th Test by scoring a century.

Harbhajan Singh is no different.

When Mumbai Indians faced Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore two nights ago, Harbhajan became the first cricketer to earn 100 IPL caps for Mumbai Indians. The Turbanator marked the special occasion with a Man of the Match-winning performance that helped Mumbai Indians open their account in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League. Harbhajan’s three wickets also meant that he became only the third bowler to pick 100 wickets in IPL.

Both the landmarks symbolise Harbhajan’s presence as an integral member of the Mumbai Indians team, ever since the inception of the IPL. As the champion spinner displayed during his decade-and-half long stint with the Indian team, he has proven his worth time and again for his IPL franchise. No wonder then that he remains the only active player for the prestigious franchise among the Mumbai Indians team that featured in its maiden IPL match.

No doubt that Harbhajan has had his share of controversies, most notably the Slapgate incident, which was followed by the bowler being suspended for 11 games in the inaugural IPL season. But the fact remains that Harbhajan has been a cricketer who has achieved plenty of firsts for Mumbai Indians.

Harbhajan holds the distinction of being the first Mumbai Indians captain in the franchise’s glittering history. Besides, he would always remain the first Mumbai Indians captain to lift a trophy. It was under Harbhajan’s captaincy that the Mumbai Indians reigned supreme in the 2011 Champions League Twenty20 against all odds.

Harbhajan played a significant role as a batsman, bowler and captain in leading a young troupe to glory, in the absence of key players like Sachin Tendulkar and Lasith Malinga, both of whom had been side-lined due to injuries.

That was followed by Harbhajan taking over the reins from Tendulkar for the 2012 IPL. Though he had the toughest season with the ball, he continued to impress as the leader, as Mumbai Indians sailed into the Playoffs.

Ahead of the 2013 season, Harbhajan gave up the captaincy to focus on his individual performance. And it worked wonders for him as the 2013 season saw Harbhajan’s wicket tally soared to 24, four times higher than the previous season. He followed up his best season in IPL with a consistent outing in the 2014 edition, picking 14 wickets with an exceptional economy rate of 6.47.

Even in the 2015 IPL, with Harbhajan just three months shy of turning 35, Harbhajan continues to be the leader of Mumbai Indian’s bowling attack. With Malinga still finding his feet, Harbhajan has shared the excess workload with elan. With eight wickets from four games, Harbhajan is placed second in the list of highest wicket-takers for the season.

If Harbhajan can continue on the dream start to the season and earn the Purple Cap, he would have ensured Mumbai Indians’ smooth sailing into the Playoffs for the sixth successive season.

Most IPL matches for Mumbai Indians