U-turn for Yuvi: Cricketer confirms plans to come out of retirement

Retired India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has confirmed his desire to return to competitive cricket after spending more than a year away from the game. 38-year-old Yuvi had announced his retirement from all forms in June 2019.

As per a Cricbuzz report, Yuvraj wrote to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah, seeking approval. It appears Yuvi in his letter made it clear that if he could play for Punjab at the domestic level, he would not pursue interests outside the country. The cricketer is yet to hear back from the Indian board.

What prompted the U-turn?

It seems that Punjab Cricket Association Secretary Puneet Bali fuelled Yuvi’s desire to return. During the lockdown, the all-rounder was training and batting in Punjab’s off-season camps. It was after one of the sessions that Bali approached him.

“Initially, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to take up the offer,” Yuvraj is quoted by Cricbuzz.

“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.”

Earlier this week, there were rumours of Yuvraj chasing a historic deal in Australia’s Big Bash League. Yuvi would’ve been the first Indian cricketer to play in the BBL. Last year in August, he went on to play in the Global T20 League in Canada. He then travelled to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi T10 League in November.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

If all goes well, the World Cup-winning all-rounder could be seen playing for Punjab in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.