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Yuvraj Singh SMAT 2021 team: Will Yuvraj Singh play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021?

Dixit Bhargav
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Yuvraj Singh SMAT 2021 team: Will Yuvraj Singh play Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021?

Yuvraj Singh SMAT 2021 team: The former Indian all-rounder was requested by his home state to come out of retirement.

It was in August this year that PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) secretary Puneet Bali had requested former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to come out of retirement and represent Punjab at least in one particular format.

Bali’s request had come on the back of an exodus of players from Punjab to other states primarily a newly-formed Chandigarh. In Yuvraj’s experience, Bali expected Punjab to have a world-class player who could guide the youngsters throughout a domestic tournament.

However, Yuvraj’s case isn’t as simple as it sounds. Post his retirement from international cricket last year, Yuvraj captained Toronto Nationals in the second season of the Global T20 League 2019 and represented Maratha Arabians in the Abu Dhabi T10 League the same year.

The two-time World Cup winner also traveled to Australia to take part in the Bushfire relief match in addition to playing for India Legends in the Road Safety World Series earlier this year.

Yuvraj Singh SMAT 2021 team

Given BCCI’s tough stand on not allowing their players to play in overseas leagues, Yuvraj obtaining an NOC for the same post his retirement forbids him from playing any Indian domestic tournament.

Despite PCA and Yuvraj himself having written to BCCI President Sourav Ganguly regarding the matter, the cricket board has denied the 39-year old player a permission to represent Punjab after two years. The development means that the swashbuckling southpaw won’t be playing in the imminent season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy despite being named in Punjab’s probable squad.

It is worth mentioning that veteran spinner Pravin Tambe was denied a permission to represent Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently concluded 13th season of the Indian Premier League due to his involvement in the Caribbean Premier League earlier this year.

Had Yuvraj got the nod, it would have been unfair on Tambe and had set a wrong precedent for others. Earlier, there were reports of Yuvraj contemplating a Big Bash League debut this year but even that didn’t fruition.

As far as Punjab are concerned, Kings XI Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh will continue to lead the side in the tournament beginning from January 10. Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Gurkeerat Singh Mann has been retained in his role of a vice-captain.

Other than Mandeep and Gurkeerat, Punjab’s 20-member squad also comprises of international players such as Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, Barinder Sran and Mayank Markande. Former India and Punjab fast bowler Manpreet Gony, who had represented Toronto Nationals under Yuvraj, has been elected as Punjab’s bowling coach.

Punjab team for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021

Mandeep Singh (c), Gurkeerat Mann (vc), Rohan Marwaha, Abhinav Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Anmol Malhotra, Sanvir Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Karan Kaila, Mayank Markande, Abhishek Sharma, Ramandeep Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Baltej Dhanda, Krishan, Gitansh Khera.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Dixit Bhargav

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Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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