Yuvraj Singh is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket, and he had a career that was nothing short of a Bollywood movie. He made his debut for India when he was just 19 and would go on to win the ODI as well as the T20 World Cup, only to be diagnosed with cancer.
He then made a sublime comeback, only to see himself getting dropped from the national side. Eventually, in 2019, he retired from international cricket. He would play in the IPL for 11 long years, wearing the jerseys of six different IPL teams. The former Indian international brought plenty of delight to cricket fans in the IPL betting during his long career in the league.
In this blog, we look at his IPL career with each team where he became the legend he is today.
Six Franchises Yuvraj Singh Represented in IPL
Yuvraj Singh made his IPL debut with the Punjab Kings, where he was the captain. He would continue as captain in 2009, after which he relinquished the opportunity and gave the job to Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. The all-rounder would move to Pune Warriors India in 2011, where he was again named the captain, but cancer ensued, and his career was disrupted.
In 2014, he was bought by RCB for ₹14 crore, where he would be later released as his performance dropped. He would then be purchased by the Delhi Daredevils in 2015 for an even more significant sum of ₹16 core, only to be rereleased the same year.
Meanwhile, in 2016, he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he would stay until the end of the 2017 IPL and win his first IPL trophy. Kings XI Punjab bought him back for the 2018 edition, where his flop show once again ensured that he was let go. The Mumbai Indians bought Yuvraj in the 2019 season. He was released and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2019.
Punjab Kings (2008-2010 & 2018):
Yuvraj made his IPL debut for Punjab in the inaugural IPL season, where he was named the icon player. Under his leadership, Punjab would reach the semi-final, where they would lose to the Chennai Super Kings. He continued as captain in 2009 and left the position in 2010 due to a loss in form. Yuvraj returned to the franchise in 2018 but struggled with just 65 runs in eight innings.
Pune Warriors India (2011-2013):
Yuvraj played at his second franchise in the 2011 season, and like in Kings XI Punjab, he was named the skipper. He played 14 games for the Pune outfit in 2011, scoring 343 runs with an average of 34, with two fifties to his name. Pune Warriors India was a new franchise, and the pressure was immense to perform. He should have been taken to task had he not disclosed that he had lung cancer since the team finished second from the bottom. For this reason, he missed the IPL 2012 but made a good comeback in the 2013 season for the Pune outfit.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2014):
In the 2014 season, the stylish left-handed batter was back in the IPL, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru being his third franchise. The Vijay Mallya-led corporate house coughed up ₹14 crore for this Indian superstar, making him the most expensive player in auction history at that time. However, he failed to deliver, scoring 376 runs in 14 matches. He averaged 34, scoring three fifties in the process, and was let go soon at the end of the season.
Delhi Daredevils (2015):
Yuvraj might not have been scoring, but he was getting all the money. It is what happened when Delhi Daredevils bought him for another large amount of money. This time, the figure was ₹16 crore. He scored 248 runs in 13 innings with a lowly average of 19. And again, his team failed to reach the desired outcome, finishing second from bottom. The franchise didn’t retain him.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016-2017):
In the 2016 auction, Yuvraj was bought by the Hyderabad franchise for ₹7 crore. The franchises clearly understood that he was aging and would play a mentor role for the upcoming youngsters. The 2011 World Cup winner would play ten matches for the franchise. He made close to 500 runs in 27 outings for the franchise. He played a cameo in the IPL 2016 final against Royal Challengers Bangalore but managed just two fifties in his time with the Sunrisers. Nonetheless, Yuvraj would get his hands on the IPL trophy, which he won for the first time in seven years of trying.
Mumbai Indians (2019):
Mumbai Indians would become his sixth and final franchise in his IPL career. A 38-year-old Yuvraj was struggling, and many teams didn’t want him. At this point, Mumbai stepped in and bought him for ₹1 crore. It was a bargain, and Mumbai hoped the investment would pay off; however, it didn’t happen. Yuvraj played just four games and accounted for 98 runs. Due to his poor form, he was dropped midway and never played the entire season. However, the team won the IPL that season, and with this, Yuvraj would win his second IPL trophy in three years.
Concluding Thoughts
Yuvraj had many ups and downs in his career. An IPL is a good example! He made his IPL debut for the Punjab Kings in 2008, where he was the icon player. He stayed there for three years, only to have a flop show where, by the end of 2010, he had to relinquish the captaincy.
However, he would win the ODI World Cup for India and hence get a lucrative contract for Pune. He was paid a whopping 14 crore by RCB in 2014 and 16 crore by Delhi Daredevils in 2015, but on both occasions, the team performed poorly.
As a result, the all-rounder was let go. However, he never went unsold and got picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹7 crore, where he would win his maiden IPL trophy. In the 2018 auctions, he went to his old team, Kings XI Punjab, where he had another flop show and was let go. He arrived at the Mumbai Indians, where he would win his second IPL trophy in 2019.
