Yuvraj mulls retirement, may seek BCCI nod to compete in private T20 leagues

The Punjab left-hander’s final decision depends on whether he would get permission from the BCCI to play in foreign T20 leagues.

India star cricketer Yuvraj Singh is seriously thinking about taking retirement from international and first class cricket to pursue a freelance career in ICC approved foreign Twenty20 leagues. However, the Punjab left-hander’s final decision depends on whether he would get permission from the BCCI to play in foreign T20 leagues. "Yuvraj is thinking of calling it quits from international and first class cricket. He would like to speak to the BCCI and get more clarity on plying his trade in tournaments like GT20 (Canada), Euro T20 Slam in Ireland and Holland as he has offers," a BCCI source privy to the development, told PTI on Sunday. Recently, Irfan Pathan put his name in the draft for the Caribbean Premier League but Pathan junior is an active first class player, who didn't seek permission from the BCCI. "Irfan was told to withdraw his name from the draft. As far as Yuvraj is concerned, we need to check the rules. Even if he retires from first class cricket, he will still be an active T20 player registered under BCCI. The rule needs to be checked," a senior BCCI functionary said. Yuvraj played for Mumbai Indians in this year's IPL but didn't get many chances which might have prompted him to seriously think about future plans. However, the BCCI official said, "The T10 might have been approved by the ICC but it's still not an acknowledged format. But yes, going forward, as and when the players association takes shape, the case for retired players may come up for consideration." He agreed that in principle, retired international players should be allowed to take part in Big Bash, CPL or BPL, if they get offers.