Mumbai Indians (MI), one of the franchises for the Indian Premier League (IPL) has often banked on youngsters apart from their core. With the twelfth edition of the IPL kicking-off on March 23 in Chennai, Director of Cricket Operations for Indians, Zaheer Khan has put his weight behind his former teammate Yuvraj Singh for excelling in the IPL 2019.
Well, all eye eight teams are vying for the coveted title in one of the most successful Twenty20 leagues. With Yuvraj looking forward to rung in form after remaining unsold for the first time before being sold at the last minute of the IPL auction.
In the 2019 IPL Auction in Jaipur, Indians has roped in Yuvraj in INR 1 Crore while considering his match-winning abilities.
The 40-year-old former pacer Zaheer maintained the southpaw is potential to provide stability with a team. Zaheer is adamant in saying that sole reason on picking Yuvraj has been his potential to change the fortunes of any side.
Interestingly, Indians failed to defend the title in the eleventh edition of IPL. The bleak show from middle-order has hurt the side. So far, Indians have won three titles while sitting at par with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
This time around they’ve addressed the issue to plug in the loopholes.
IPL 2019: Winning ability fetch Yuvraj Singh a spot in Mumbai Indian’s squad:
The veteran bowler Zaheer reiterated there are enough resources to look at ahead of the gruelling home competition ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
Zaheer pointed out the inclusion of Yuvraj will serve as an added advantage for Yuvraj. He reckoned Yuvraj is capable of handling pressure cooker situations.
“Bringing in Yuvraj in the squad has been a boost because of the match-winning ability he has. In our discussions leading up to the auctions, we had identified that… We need experienced batsmen who can control the game in the middle,” Zaheer said on Yuvraj during a press conference.
IPL 2019: Experience in the middle-order for Mumbai Indians – Zaheer Khan
The hard-hitting 37-year-old batting all-rounder, Yuvraj has also represented Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the recent past.
Zaheer reiterated Yuvraj bringing in the wealth of experience. Adding to have Yuvraj around will help Indians’ cause in the extended T20 league.
Recently, skipper Rohit Sharma has made up his mind to open the innings for his team. Thus, it asks a lot to a senior batsman like Yuvraj. Zaheer maintained Yuvraj is the prominent player who is capable of delivering goods.
According to Zaheer, Yuvraj can take youngsters alongside to carry forward the momentum.
“Since Rohit has decided to open, we need that experience in the middle order. And, who’s better than someone like Yuvraj Singh,” said Zaheer.
Meanwhile, Mumbai will face Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi Capitals (DC) at Wankhede on March 23.
It’s the time that will reveal how Yuvraj’s impact would help India’s while eyeing their fourth IPL title with almost settled team combination.
