Yuvraj Singh to Come Out of Retirement, Writes Letter to BCCI Expressing Desire to Play for Punjab Again
Yuvraj revealed that he was approached by PCA Secretary Puneet Bali for the dual role as there are many inexperienced and young players in the team. “Mr Puneet Bali, the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, approached me after one of the sessions and asked me if I would reconsider coming out of retirement,” Yuvraj was quoted as per saying.
Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh might come out of retirement for player-cum mentor role. Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) had requested the two-time World Cup-winner to play the dual role for the state team and the all-rounder has accepted the offer. As of now, the veteran cricketer has only agreed to play T20Is but he still has to a get nod from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to break his retirement. He, however, has written a letter to the Indian cricket board, seeking permission to play for the state team. Yuvraj Singh Likely to Play in Big Bash League 2020, Could Become First Indian Cricketer to Feature in Australia's Premier T20 Competition.
In an interview with Cricbuzz, Yuvraj revealed that he was approached by PCA Secretary Puneet Bali for the dual role as there are many inexperienced and young players in the team. “Mr Puneet Bali, the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, approached me after one of the sessions and asked me if I would reconsider coming out of retirement,” Yuvraj was quoted as per saying.
The southpaw, who announced his retirement in June last year, is known to have great bond with many young Punjab players like Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh, Abhishek Sharma and Harpreet Brar. In fact, these youngsters also had some training session with Yuvraj Singh last month.
Throwing light on his time with Gill and other young players, the legendary all-rounder said: "I enjoyed spending time with these youngsters, and talking to them about various aspects of the game, I realised that they were able to pick up various things that I was telling them. I had to get into the nets to show them a few other elements, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was hitting the ball even though I hadn't held a bat for a really long time. "
Yuvraj, who made his international way back in 2000, has a plethora of experience behind him and his presence will certainly have a great impact on the youngsters. The all-rounder also said that he’s determined to guide Punjab to many more trophies.
However, coming out of retirement might not be a cakewalk for the talisman. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) demands players’ retirement to give NOc for playing in foreign leagues. After announcing retirement, the dashing all-rounder featured in two such leagues - the Global T20 Canada and Abu Dhabi T10 League. Hence, it will be interesting to see whether Yuvraj will take the field again or not.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2020 07:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).