Yuvraj Singh could play the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament
Indian legend Yuvraj Singh might return to India's domestic circuit soon. The flamboyant middle-order batsman, who retired from international cricket, including the Indian Premier League in 2019, has been sweating it out with his Punjab team-mates at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, of late. As per reports, he is willing to compete in the impending Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
A recent report in the TOI stated that Yuvraj is "motivated" to make play the aforementioned tournament. Notably, he underwent a 45-minute net session, wherein the southpaw looked comfortable against the bowlers. However, his fitness is still under the scanner.
As many as thirty Punjab cricketers divided into two teams attended a ten-day preparatory camp ahead of a T20 tournament in Ludhiana. This is a lead-up to the Mushtaq Ali tournament, which is set to take place from January 10 to 31. Notably, the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, informed about the development to all the state units, on Sunday.
Yuvraj's comeback hangs in balance as hasn't received confirmation from BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. In 2019, the 39-year-old was handed a no-objection certificate by the board to participate in foreign T20 leagues, after he bid adieu to international cricket and IPL. Now, his return to domestic cricket would be contrary to BCCI's rule for active Indian players regarding foreign leagues.
As per the current rule, any contracted or non-contracted cricketer involved in Indian cricket is not allowed to participate in foreign T20 leagues. The BCCI grants no-objection certificate (NOC) to only those players who have retired from Indian cricket, including the IPL.
In August, Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary Puneet Bali had asked Yuvraj to come out of retirement. He offered the Indian stalwart to play for Punjab in the upcoming domestic season as well as mentor young cricketers. Bali had stated that Yuvraj's presence could be a big boost for Punjab. However, Bali, in his recent statement said, "We are still awaiting BCCI's response."
That apart, left-arm pacer Barinder Sran has made a return to Punjab. Sran had earlier switched to Chandigarh after he was left out of Punjab's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. The 28-year-old is now a part of Punjab's 30-member squad. It is understood that he has obtained the no-objection certificate from Chandigarh. Sran has also represented India in six ODIs and two T20Is.
Probables: Mandeep Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Salil Arora, Gitansh Khera, Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Singh, Karan Kaila, Rahul Sharma, Krishan Alang, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Ikjot Singh, Naman Dhir, Abhishek Gupta, Himanshu Satyawan, Gurkeerat Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Anmol Malhotra, Aarush Sabharwal, Abhinav Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Mayank arkande, Baltej Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sarn, Gurnoor Singh, Harjas, Abhijit Garg, Kunwar Pathak
