Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh could become first ever Indian to play in Big Bash League. The 38-year old has retired from all forms of cricket last year and had decided to play in overseas leagues.
The BCCI had given him permission to play in other leagues as he is also no longer an active participant in IPL. As per the latest report from Sydney Morning Herald, Yuvraj Singh is keen to play in BBL this year.
Yuvraj’s manager Jason Warne of W Sports & Media has also confirmed that theya re trying to find the right franchise.
“We’re working with CA to try to find him a home,” Warne said on Monday.
Although, Yuvraj Singh was axed from Indian team after 2017 ICC Champions trophy, the southpaw continued playing in domestic cricket. However after retiring last year, he has not played any domestic cricket in India. He played the T10 league in Dubai and was last seen at Global T20 league held in Canada last year.
On the other hand, Cricket Australia are trying to actively pursue Indian players in the tournament. BCCI did give permission to female cricketers to participate in WBBL. However, since Yuvraj Singh is a non active player in IPL, there is a good chance he might feature in BBL 2020.
“It would be incredible for them to be able to play in these tournaments. That is the ideal situation. There are so many world-class T20 players in India that aren’t playing for India that could be potentially available to play in the Big Bash and other tournaments around the world,” Warner was quoted as saying in the same report.
Yuvraj Singh Announced He is Considering Comeback
The southpaw is undoubtedly one of the greatest match winners in Indian cricket. He has won countless matches for India during the 2000s and was skillful across all three departments.
His vital role has helped India clinch both T20 world cup and world cup in 2011. However, life had other ideas as he was soon diagnosed with cancer. He went for treatment but the intense chemotherapy saw him lose his instincts and agility.
Although he performed some great innings after his comeback in 2012, he was not given a good run in Indian team. This dented his confidence as he eventually bowed out from Indian cricket.
Yuvraj Singh has hinted that he could now be back into Punjab team for the shortest format. As the team is filled with youngsters, the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, Puneet Bali approached Yuvi with the offer to play again.
“Initially, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to take up the offer,” Yuvraj admits. “I was done with domestic cricket, though I did want to continue to play in other domestic franchise-based leagues worldwide if I got permission from the BCCI.
“But I also couldn’t ignore Mr Bali’s request. I gave it a lot of thought, for nearly three or four weeks, and it was almost as if I didn’t even have to make a conscious decision in the end.
“The motivation is to help Punjab win championships. Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh), myself, we have won tournaments, but we haven’t done it together for Punjab, so that was a big factor in my final call,” Yuvraj points out.
“Obviously, Shubman is already playing for India, and I feel there’s plenty of potential in the other three boys. If I can contribute in any way to their development and to the development of Punjab cricket, then that will be wonderful. After all, playing for Punjab is what paved the way for my international career.”
