Yuvraj Singh requested BCCI to represent Punjab again after retiring from all forms of international cricket in 2019 and then playing foreign global leagues like Canada T20 for Toronto Nationals and UAE T10 representing Maratha Arabians in the same year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has turned down Yuvraj Singh’s request to represent Punjab in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Yuvraj Singh had earlier written to the BCCI to allow him to make his return.
Yuvraj Singh Denied Permission To Represent Punjab Again As BCCI Sticks To Rules Which Saw Pravin Tambe Disqualified For The Same Reason
According to the present rules, an Indian player participating in any foreign league can’t make his comeback to IPL or domestic cricket. The same rule saw the BCCI asking Kolkata Knight Riders management to drop spinner Pravin Tambe from IPL 2020 squad as he had played a T10 league abroad.
In season two of T10 League, Pravin Tambe played for Sindhis team. He became the first Indian cricketer to get a contract in the Caribbean Premier League 2020.
Yuvraj Singh was expected to be given a green signal given his stature and popularity but the board decided to stick to the rules. Interestingly, Ambati Rayudu, in 2019, made his return to domestic cricket after announcing retirement during the 2019 World Cup where he wasn’t selected. Since he hadn’t participated in any foreign league, he didn’t even need BCCI’s permission to reverse his decision.
Following his retirement, Yuvraj Singh went on to play Global T20 Canada and T10 league. As BCCI has now denied him the permission to play for Punjab, the fans might see Yuvraj Singh featuring in some more foreign leagues soon. He may play Big Bash or Caribbean Premier League if he is selected.
Punjab Will Be Led By Mandeep Singh
Punjab’s regular captain Mandeep Singh will lead the state team Punjab in the upcoming T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali T20. He will be assisted by Gurkeerat Singh Mann, who is one of the capped players in the squad. The list of other capped players includes Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Markande and Barinder Sran.
Left-arm pacer Barinder Sran, who has represented India in six ODIs and two T20Is in 2016, has also been included in the Punjab squad after having switched to Chandigarh last year. India A batsman Anmolpreet Singh and all-rounder Abhishek Sharma are also part of the squad.
Munish Bali will continue as the coach while former India pacer Manpreet Gony has been named as the bowling coach. Manpreet Gony had announced retirement from Indian cricket a couple of weeks after Yuvraj Singh and both of them were teammates in Global T20 Canada.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Captain Mandeep Singh, Arshdeep Singh and Prabhsimran Singh played for Kings XI Punjab, Abhishek Sharma, Siddharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma represented SunRisers Hyderabad, Mayank Markhande played for Rajasthan Royals and Anmolpreet Singh was a part of Mumbai Indians squad in IPL 2020.
Squad: Mandeep Singh (captain), Gurkeerat Mann (vice-captain), 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