IPL 2019: Yuvraj Singh not surprised by his diminishing price tag

Yuvraj Singh faced the risk of going unsold at the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction at Jaipur. However, after going unsold in Round 1, the veteran India allrounder finally found a buyer in Mumbai Indians (MI), who procured his services for Season 12 for Rs 1 crore.

IPL Auction 2019: As it unfolded in Jaipur

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Such has been the decline of Yuvraj’s price value. He was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for Rs 16 crore in the 2015 auction and then slumped to a Rs 2-crore deal which was sealed by Kings XI Punjab last edition before they released him for under-performing.

Yuvraj, who scored just 65 runs in eight games in IPL 2018, is not surprised about how things panned out during the auction.

“There was no disappointment as such because I had an idea that I would not be picked in the first round,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror on Thursday.

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“The reason is obvious, when you are putting together an IPL team, you will be looking at the youngsters. I am at that stage of my career where it could be presumed that I may be in the last stages of my career. I had hoped that there would be a buyer for me in the last round.”

The two-time World Cup winner, who turned 37 on December 12, however is glad Mumbai Indians picked him.

“Somewhere within me there was a feeling that I might go to Mumbai… frankly I am looking for an opportunity to play this year and I am happy that it has come.

“Akash (Ambani) had said some nice things about me and it feels good to have such confidence.

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“It will also be a very familiar environment for me because Zak (coach Zaheer Khan), Sachin Tendulkar, (mentor) and Rohit Sharma (captain) are there. I have played a lot of cricket with them. I am looking forward to playing with them again. When you have the support, it motivates you to do well, it brings out the best in you.”

Yuvraj, who’s playing for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season, admitted that he did not have a great IPL season last year, but has time on his hand to find his groove leading up to the T20 extravaganza.

“Agreed, that the last season was not great. But the point was I played at different positions in four-five games. I was not given one position to bat. This year I am very keen to make the best of the opportunity that will comes my way,” he said.

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“I have a couple of Ranji games coming up and then there will be the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. It will be a good preparation for me. The good thing is that I will have a lot of match-time in the build-up to the IPL.”

Making his entry into MI, Yuvraj will have played for seven teams. He has played for KXIP, Pune Warriors India, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad before coming back to the Punjab side last year.

“Yes, there are one or two teams left for which I have not played. It’s been great and up and down,” he said.

“It’s a little unfortunate that I did not have the chance to get settled at one team. I had a very good season with the RCB in 2013 and never got to stay there. After the next auction, I went to Delhi. From there to Hyderabad. But it’s also been very interesting. But I am actually happy that my last few years will be in Mumbai. It’s a good feeling.”

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He said that the competitive spirit in him is still there. “Hopefully in this season I will be able to deliver. There is fire in the belly, I am keen to be competitive. The hunger is there, I am not playing for the sake of playing. I am playing because I want to play and I am passionate about playing. I will take a call after the 2019 World Cup. I will take stock about where my life is headed. At the moment the next three four months are crucial for me in cricket. I want to just focus on that.”