Yuvraj Singh is mulling international and first-class retirement after another underwhelming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He played for the title-winning Mumbai Indians (MI) and played just four matches for them, only to be benched for the rest of the tournament.
The veteran India cricketer is eyeing to ply his trade in the foreign T20 leagues and is seeking a permission from the BCCI for the same.
With age also not on his side and not even the fitness, Yuvraj might have played his last international match and if BCCI gives him the permission to play other T20 leagues, the fans might not see him even in the IPL. He has been getting offers from Globat T20 Canada and Euro T20 Slam in Ireland and Holland as well and wants more clarity from the board over the same.
“Yuvraj is thinking of calling it quits from international and first-class cricket. He would like to speak to the BCCI and get more clarity on plying his trade in tournaments like GT20 (Canada), Euro T20 Slam in Ireland and Holland as he has offers,” a BCCI source privy to the development, was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Recently, Irfan Pathan had put his name in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft but he was told to withdraw his name by the board as the left-hander is still an active first-class cricketer. In Yuvraj’s case, it will be interesting to see what kind of a decision BCCI takes.
“Irfan was told to withdraw his name from the draft. As far as Yuvraj is concerned, we need to check the rules. Even if he retires from first-class cricket, he will still be an active T20 player registered under BCCI. The rule needs to be checked,” the BCCI functionary said.
Meanwhile, the leagues like one in Canada and the new venture in Dublin and Amstelveen can gain a lot of mileage if Yuvraj features in the league.
Cricket experts also believe if Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag can be a part of a T10 venture in Dubai then Yuvraj should also not face any problem of playing in foreign leagues if he retires.
However, the BCCI official said, “The T10 might have been approved by the ICC but it’s still not an acknowledged format. But yes, going forward, as and when the players association takes shape, the case for retired players may come up for consideration.”
He agreed that in principle, retired international players should be allowed to take part in Big Bash League, CPL or Natwest T20 Blast, if they get offers.
