National T20 tournament as important as IPL: Harbhajan

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh feels the National T20 Championship is as important as the cash-rich Indian Premier League as it gives domestic players a chance to impress the national selectors as well as get an IPL contract.

"This tournament is as important as IPL as this is where you see a lot of domestic cricketers, who are not part of IPL, in action. It offers them a good chance to impress and get into IPL," Harbhajan said after leading Punjab to a comfortable win over Assam.

"This is a good tournament for people like me to prepare for IPL (starting on April 4). This is not a warm-up tournament but a very serious tournament," said the veteran of 98 Tests.

Harbhajan, who has been out-of-favour since coming back after the second Test match in England due to abdominal injury, is itching to get back into the national team.

"I am feeling good. I am trying to make a comeback into the national team. I am enjoying my captaincy and I am also bowling well. I am doing all I can to the best of my ability. Coming back from injury is not easy," said the off spinner who plays for Mumbai Indians in IPL.

Asked about longtime teammate Yuvraj Singh, who recently finished his cycle of chemotherapy and was discharged from the medical centre in Indianapolis, the fiesty offie said this battle against cancer has been the stylish southpaw's toughest.

"He has won so many matches for India but this is the biggest match of them all. When he comes back to India, we want to welcome him in a big way," he said about Yuvraj, the man of the tournament in last year's World Cup triumph.