Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19: Yuvraj Singh picked in Punjab squad

Veteran Yuvraj Singh found himself included in Punjab’s squad for the 2018-19 season of Vijay Hazare Trophy. The dashing left-handed batsman, however, was not picked as the captain and batting all-rounder Mandeep Singh was appointed as the skipper. Seasoned campaigner Harbhajan Singh was not named in the team either.

Mandeep, 26, has played three T20Is for India and scored a fifty in one of them. The right-hand bat will have all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann as his deputy. The squad, which will kick off its campaign against Himachal Pradesh on September 19, also features former and current Under-19 cricketers like Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, and Abhishek Sharma.

All three of them were part of India’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad in New Zealand earlier this year. Gill has already played for India ‘A’ and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while Sharma made his debut for Punjab last season and also featured in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 edition. Singh is yet to play his first match in senior cricket.

Road still open for Yuvraj?

Among other players who are included in the team are Gitansh Khera, Manan Vohra, and Anmolpreet Singh. Siddharth Kaul will spearhead Punjab’s attack and will be accompanied by Manpreet Singh Goni and Barinder Sran. Sandeep Sharma, the 25-year-old pacer who is known for his wicket-taking abilities with the new ball and has played two T20Is in 2015 along with representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL this year, was overlooked, reported Timesnownews.com.

All eyes will be on Yuvraj, who will turn 37 in December. Can the man of the series of the 2011 World Cup extend his international career further upto the 2019 World Cup? A veteran of 304 ODIs, Yuvraj last appeared for India against the Windies in June last year.

After facing Himachal, Punjab will take on Vidarbha (September 21), Maharashtra (Sept 23), Baroda (Sept 24), Mumbai (Sept 28), Railways (October 2), Goa (Oct 4) and Karnataka (Oct 8) in Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Punjab Squad

Mandeep Singh (captain), Gurkeerat Singh Mann (vice-captain), Gitansh Khera (wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Anmolpreet Singh, Manan Vohra, Yuvraj Singh, Sharad Lumba, Sanvir Singh, Mayank Markande, Arshdeep Singh, Arpit Pannu, Abhishek Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Manpreet Singh Grewal, and Barinder Singh Sran

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