BCCI turns down Yuvraj Singh's request to come out of retirement

Yuvraj Singh retired from International cricket in 2019. After his retirement, he was granted permission to participate in the Global T20 Canada. Earlier this year, he was requested by Punjab Cricket Association to come out of his retirement to guide the youngsters in the Punjab state team. He obliged to it and decided to make a comeback to competitive cricket.

Earlier in the month, there was a buzz created when Yuvraj Singh was included in the probables list of the Punjab team in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 starting from January 10th, 2021, and will be played until the 31st of the same month.

As per Times of India, Yuvraj had written a letter on the same to the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. His request, later on, was turned down by the BCCI, for unknown reasons, and he would not be making a comeback.

Yuvraj Singh is one of the best all-rounders the Indian team has ever had. He has featured in 58 T20 Internationals wherein he has scored 1177 runs at a strike rate of 136.38 with his highest score being 77*. Also, he has picked 28 wickets at an economy of 7.06 and with the best bowling figures of 3/17.

Mandeep Singh to lead Punjab team in the upcoming SMAT 2021

The Punjab team has found a new captain in the form of Mandeep Singh. He was in brilliant form with the willow in the recently concluded IPL. He opened the innings for Kings XI Punjab and was successful in providing quick starts for his franchise. Featuring in 7 matches, he scored 130 runs which consisted of a match-winning 50 striking at 119.26.

However, there were a few eyebrows raised due to the inclusion of Rohan Marwaha who wasn’t even on the probables list. Rohan, however, was in excellent form with the bat in the T20 tournament held in Ludhiana. Another inclusion was that of Barinder Sran after having switched to Chandigarh last year.

In another development, Manpreet Singh Gony has been appointed as the bowling coach, and he will be assisting Munish Bali who is the head coach. Punjab will be kick-starting their campaign against Uttar Pradesh at the Alur Cricket Ground.